


Before the Fight

by A_Fool_in_Love



Category: Thunderbolt Fantasy 東離劍遊紀 (TV)
Genre: Character Development, F/M, M/M, Manipulation, Scheming
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-25
Updated: 2017-01-16
Packaged: 2018-08-17 04:52:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 25,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8131135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Fool_in_Love/pseuds/A_Fool_in_Love
Summary: This diverges from the series at the point just before Episode 12 ends.In the darkness, a demon slumbers on. A crow struggles for his life. Four companions race to stop the impending war. The ties that bind these warriors have frayed, but what has been broken can be mended to become even stronger than before.





	1. Discoveries

The night was cool and still when the group came at last to the tankenshi, the air crisp. Sho Fu Kan supported Ken San Un as they came to a halt, and Tan Hi strode ahead several paces before slowing. “I sense something strange… Sho-sama, you don’t think…”

”Whatever happened, happened.” Sho frowned and gazed into the dimness. “Stay with Ken. I’m going ahead. If someone is waiting in ambush, it’s better if they come after me.”

Ken growled and pushed away from Sho, standing upright. “Oi, I can still fight. I’m not useless. Even with this eye…”

Knowing that arguing with the wounded boy would be useless, Sho nodded. “Good. If the Bones of Creation is here, I doubt that he came alone. You two will have to protect each other if anything happens. Got it?”

Tan Hi came to stand beside Ken, “Sho-sama, I must insist that I accompany you. This is my home. I failed to protect it once, I cannot simply stand aside when the tengyoken is in danger.”

”Huh?” Sho shook his head. “Agh… Fine. But make sure to protect your own life above all else. As long as you still live, there’s a chance to try again later. Let’s go.”

Cautiously, senses alert to any possible ambush, the three companions approached the entrance.

”Sho-sama, what could that be?” Tan Hi gestured.

In the shadows of an old tree, a form lay crumpled and motionless. The moonlight made pools of blood on the pathway shimmer. Sho drew his sword and approached with caution, but as he drew nearer he realized what he saw. “Rin Setsu A.”

Tan Hi gasped. “Is he…?”

Sho sheathed his sword, knelt down, and felt for the thief’s pulse. It was faint, and is qi was weak, but present. “He’s alive, barely. The Bones of Creation is either inside or already gone. Kei Gai and Shu Un Sho may be there too. “

”Just leave him. This mess is that traitor’s fault to begin with. We have to hurry in case there’s still time to stop them!”

”Hm…” Sho looked around and considered the scene quickly, piecing together what had occurred. Rin didn’t seem like to type to have confronted the Bones of Creation directly, especially not with Kei Gai and Shu Un Sho present as well. He bowed his head when he realized that they were probably too late. Rather than voice that he said, “Go ahead then. I’ll catch up.”

The two ran ahead and Sho concentrated, transferring some of his qi to Rin. It wouldn’t be enough to save him if his wounds were too severe. Up close, the scent of blood was strong. Sho parted his robes, taking a twig from the ground and using it as a knife where it was expedient to do so. He cursed, taking in the deep gashes that marred Rin’s pale skin. He cut off a piece of Rin’s ruined robe.

”You’re a lucky bastard, you know that?” Sho mumbled. He folded the cloth and pressed down where the other man was still bleeding sluggishly 

Rin gasped, his expression turning pained. The thief’s eyes opened, but as he struck out with an arm and struggled weakly to move away, he did not seem to notice Sho.

”Oi, oi, oi. Easy. You’re going to hurt yourself.” Sho frowned, holding the other man still.

The thief’s breath came in shallow pants, and Sho could feel him trembling under his hands. Several moments passed, and he went limp. “Sho Fu Kan.” Rin’s voice was scarcely more than a whisper.”

”Yeah, it’s me,” Sho confirmed. “Lucky thing for you, too. Hold still.”

Rin grimaced. “Yo Jya Rei. Kei Gai plans to…”

”Damn. I figured this wouldn’t be easy. Still, at least Yo Jya Rei didn’t wake as soon as the sword was stolen. It could have been worse. Betsu Ten Gai did this to you, right? I’m surprised that you survived.”

”Tricks.” Rin shut his eyes.

”Yeah, you’re full of them,” Sho said. Rin made no response, having fallen back into unconsciousness.

”The tengyoken is gone!” Tan Hi appeared.

”There’s a giant demon right underneath the shrine!” Ken was right behind her.

Sho sighed. “Yeah, I thought so. This guy was awake for a moment, he said that KeI Gai plans to wake Yo Jya Rei.”

”This is a disaster,” Tan Hi sank to her knees. “If only I had been able to protect the guard. It was my duty and I failed. Now the whole world will suffer the consequences.”

”Hey, now, the demon is still asleep for now. That means that we have time to figure out a plan. In the mean time, I need you to help me. I’m all right at killing, but I don’t know much about healing.”

”A gigantic evil demon is about to bring destruction on us all, and you want to waste time on that guy?”

Tan Hi frowned. “Kicho- I mean, Rin-sama may have deceived us, but it is thanks to his and Sho-sama’s actions that I still live. I owe them both a great debt… You are both correct, though. I cannot waste time with tears or regret when there are problems to face in the present.” She rose and moved closer to see Rin’s injuries. “Oh, dear…”

”Can you do anything?”

”I can try. Sho-sama, would you be able to carry him to my living quarters?”

”Lead the way.” Sho carefully gathered Rin into his arms and rose, surprised at how little effort the action demanded.

Tan Hi’s living space was elegant, but simply furnished. As she moved, gathering what supplies she needed, she was grateful for the work, since it distracted her from the memories of her brother that assailed her from all sides. He had been alive the last time she had been there.

Sho lay Rin down with Ken’s grudging help, and pulled away the remainder of Rin’s robe and shirts. The cloth stuck in places where the blood had dried. Fresh trickles leaked from wounds that had been disturbed despite their careful movements.

Tan Hi set down an armful of supplies and looked at her patient with concern. “Sho-sama, could I trouble you to fetch some water for me?”

”Sure thing.”

Ken shook his head, “It’s weird to be sitting here while there’s a demon sleeping not far away. What if it wakes up?”

”Since it hasn’t yet, it probably won’t without some special ritual. I think our best bet at stopping this will be to take back the tengyoken from the Bones of Creation. If we don’t manage that, I suppose we’re fighting that thing.”

”Why don’t we just stab it while it’s sleeping?”

Sho shook his head, “I don’t know if we should risk it. It took the tengyoken to put it into that enchanted sleep. As we are now, I don’t think we stand much of a chance. Besides, who’s to say that it could really die the way we think of death?”

”Nng. This sucks.” Ken groaned. “We’re basically done for, aren’t we?”

”I wouldn’t say that. I’ll be back.” Sho took his leave, going to collect the water.

Tan Hi shook her head. “To think that such an evil creature was sleeping right beneath us the whole time… I had no idea.”

”Well, if Sho is right, I hope Rin wakes up soon. If it’s getting the sword back, having a thief around won’t be so bad, as long as he doesn’t double cross us again.”

”I hope so too…”


	2. Mourning

Ken San Un pushed himself to his feet, and growled under his breath. With quick, agitated steps he paced the room like a caged animal. He was exhausted, but pain from his damaged eye felt like a knife digging into his skull, and his mind would not stop racing. He crossed the length of the room and then walked back, his footsteps sounding loudly in the quiet of the room.

Tan Hi watched him, and then turned her worried gaze to Sho Fu Kan. The man was leaning against the wall where he had been resting since he’d returned with the water, apparently deep in thought. Sho sighed.

”San Un, sit down. You’ve been pacing all evening, and I’m sure your body wants a rest.”

Ken spun to face Sho. “Rest? How can you expect me to rest? Yo Jya Rei could be brought back any minute. We should be heading to Seven Sins Tower to get the tengyoken back, not waiting for this guy to wake up. The Enigmatic Gale. He’s supposed to be smart, but he really screwed up when he got Kei Gai and my bro- I mean, Shu Un Sho, to get in on his plan.”

”Yeah, I won’t argue with you there,” Sho agreed. “But we’re all tired, and two of us are wounded. Charging into Seven Sins Tower right now, without a plan, would be reckless. I’m not going anywhere until that smug cat coughs up what he knows.”

”We don’t need him! You could defeat Betsu Ten Gai! What you did back there was amazing, and you cleared the Valley of the Dead and the Valley of the Doll all on your own. If you had a real sword instead of a piece of wood, I’m sure you could win.”

”Thanks for the confidence, kid, but it’s not going to happen. I didn’t sign up for any of this.”

”What?”

”You heard me. The worse the situation gets, the less I want to be involved.” Sho stretched. “I’m sure as hell not jumping in head first until I know what’s happening.”

”But… You. If you didn’t want to get involved, what did you come all this way for? You saved my life today. Was that just for fun? Doesn’t any of this matter to you?” Ken was incensed.

”Ken-sama, I think you’re misunderstanding.” Tan Hi interjected.

”Gah. Screw this! You’re just a coward after all, aren’t you, Sho Fu Kan? Well, I’m not sitting around here so some jerk can trick us all again. Stay here if you want to. I’m going to be the Frozen Wonder who kicked Yo Jya Rei’s ass!” Ken grabbed his spear and slid open the door with a click, stepping out into the night.

”Oi! San Un!” Sho shouted, sitting up. He sighed, pressing a hand to his forehead in exasperation. “Impatient kid… Stay here. I’ll get him.”

”Sho-sama,” Tan Hi halted him as he stood. “Ken-sama is not entirely incorrect. Is there nothing that we could do in the mean time?”

”Well,” Sho considered. “Kei Gei is likely going to be recruiting other demons to help her, right? I don’t know what sort of rituals they do, or what they involve, but there’s a chance they might need to come back here first. You could set up some wards to try to hold them off.”

Tan Hi nodded, “I’ll do my best.”

”Good. That’ll be helpful if we end up leaving to find the tengyoken… Uh, well, I’m not the best at this sort of thing, but given that this is going to involve a lot more people than just us if Yo Jya Rei gets woken up, I think it would be safe to get some reinforcements. Rin wasn’t far off when he said that we needed more allies. Can you get messages to the other Goinshi? The other shinkai makai must be good for something, provided that they’re not all fakes.”

”I’ll send a bird,” Tan Hi said. “If only I had been able to do my duty and protect the sword… I’m sorry to have caused such trouble.”

”Hey, stop worrying so much, alright?” Sho patted her on the shoulder. “You’re still protecting it now, so work hard and don’t get distracted. Once you’re done, try to get some rest. I’m going to get that idiot, Ken.”

”Thank you, Sho-sama.”

Sho nodded and left, sliding the door shut behind himself. He looked left and right, allowing his eyes to adjust to the darkness. He should have brought a torch. There was only one place that Ken would have gone, though. 

The interior of the building was lit by an eerie green glow that cast unnatural shadows in the corners and crevices of the room. Sho stepped inside, one hand on the hilt of his sword. Ken was there, kneeling at the edge of the splintered floor where it gave way to a great chasm.

”Oi, San Un! Get away from there. The floor is unstable. If you fall in, you’re toast.”

Ken gave no sign of hearing Sho’s words, so Sho strode over and grabbed the willful boy by the shoulder, pulling him backwards with a firm grip. Ken provided no resistance, his eyes remaining fixed on the hole in the floor. “My brother…”

”What?”

”Shu Un Sho. I saw him… He’s down there.”

Sho frowned and stepped closer to the edge, leaning forward to peer down. Yo Jya Rei slumbered on, his unnatural form curled in on itself. Dwarfed by the giant body of the creature, Sho saw the corpse of Shu Un Sho, sprawled and broken on the rocks.

”Do you think he’s still alive?” Ken asked, despairingly.

Sho shook his head. “Sorry, kid.”

”He tried to kill me in the end. He shot his arrow and it got me in the eye… But he missed. He could have killed me.” Ken mumbled, staring ahead unseeingly.

”He made his own choices, Ken. We all have to live or die with our choices in the end.”

”You saw in the Valley of the Doll. My brother, he never misses unless he wants to.”

Sho stayed quiet, letting the boy talk.

”He never misses, and yet…” Ken leaned forward, pulling his knees up to his chest. He took a harsh breath, fighting back tears. The salt stung his wound sharply. “Why couldn’t it have been different? I should have beaten him and kept the guard safe… I wouldn’t have killed him. Damn it!” Ken crushed his fist against his good eye, as though he could force his unmanly tears back. “Damn it! Brother…”

Sho sighed sadly and put his hand on Ken’s back, comfortingly. “It was his decision… You don’t have to take any blame for that. You did your best.”

”Why did he have to die… I know. I know he wasn’t a great hero after all, but he was still my brother…”

”Yeah, he was your brother,” Sho said. “And you won’t forget him, or the things he taught you. Those pieces of him will live on, and they’ll always be with you.”

Ken was quiet for a time, gasping and sniffling through his tears. It hurt. He dug his nails into his skin, just to feel something else. His spear lay forgotten on the floor.

Sho let Ken cry for a time, not saying anything, but staying present. When the boy’s sobs quieted, Sho bent and picked up the spear, holding it out to Ken. “There’s no point in trying to attack the demon now. Even if it worked, he’d only return in another form. I asked Tan Hi to set up some wards and send messages to the other Goinshi... It’s the first time she’s been back here since her brother’s death. She could probably use some company. Why don’t you go?”

”Yeah…” Ken stood, swaying slightly and then righting himself. He wiped his eyes, casting one last look toward the gaping hole in the floor. 


	3. Truth vs Deception

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that I've seen the final episode, I feel more comfortable with what I want to write! This is now an AU from the moment Rin jumped from the tree. I hope it's alright!

Of course it would rain. Sho Fu Kan sighed as he re-entered Tan Hi’s living quarters and slid the door shut behind him. It couldn’t have waited until he was inside. It was his luck. Tan Hi and Ken San Un probably had the worst deal, though. Oh well. It was about time someone else got the short end of the stick.

Though, perhaps he didn’t have it so great either.

The rain reminded Sho of the Buddha statue. It was probably getting soaked. Perhaps this was his punishment. Sho narrowed his eyes at the prone form of Rin Setsu A.

”How long are you going to lay there, huh?” Sho walked over and prodded Rin with his foot. “I can tell that you’re awake. What do you get out of faking sleep, anyway?”

”Time to think,” answered Rin, opening his eyes and frowning at Sho’s offending foot. “Something that I require, but am much more likely to get without anyone bothering me.”

Sho growled in exasperation. “I think that you’ve done enough of that. This mess is your fault, you know. Every bit of it.”

Feeling at a disadvantage, Rin pushed himself into a sitting position, gingerly. The movement disturbed his wounds, but he kept his expression carefully serene. Tan Hi had been kind enough to drape his cape over him as a blanket, and the fabric slid to pool in his lap. The once pure white was stained with dust and blood. “My fault? Surely you remember The Bones of Creation had a hand in this as well. Were it not for my intervention, I’m sure that he would have stolen the sword much sooner, and our friend, the goinshi, would likely be dead.”

”Yeah, but you’re hardly the kind-hearted hero in all of this, are you?” Sho looked away, his expression darkening. “At Seven Sins tower, you convinced me to spare your life by saying that without you, Betsu Ten Gai would get the tengyoken. Looks like it happened anyway, so you’re going to have to give me a really good reason not to get rid of you once and for all. I get the feeling that would make the world a better place.“

”Oh? Surely the real kind-hearted hero wouldn’t threaten an injured man with no weapon.” Rin gestured, holding out his unoccupied hands. “You hesitated to kill the Screaming Phoenix Killer, after all.”

”He didn’t piss me off as much as you do.” Sho sat down. “Now you can start by telling me what happened.”

Rin huffed and looked away, fingering one of the feathers on his cape and wondering where his pipe had fallen. “I think that it would be more productive to focus on the future rather than the past, don’t you?”

Rin’s eyes widened as he was wrenched around by the shoulder and brought face to face with an irritated Sho. He winced and then smiled, and held up a placating hand. “Now, now. That’s no way to treat a friend, is it?”

”You’re no friend of mine. Talk.”

The thief sighed and began his tale from the moment he’d realized the safe was empty.

_He’d felt the satisfaction of an approaching victory as he’d hidden, eavesdropping on Betsu Ten Gai, Kei Gai, and Shu Un Sho. After hearing Betsu Ten Gai’s arrogant speech, he’d been able to revise his opinion of The Bones of Creation. It was not the sword that he coveted, but his skill. He’d devoted his life to swordsmanship. If he could crush that arrogance… Steal that man’s joy in life…_

”… Shu Un Sho was dead and Kei Gai planned to wake Yo Jya Rei, but there was still hope if I could defeat The Bones of Creation. “

_His hand had been forced once Betsu Ten Gai had noticed him. Still, Rin had been confident as he’d leapt from his perch and calmly emptied and refilled his pipe._

_The Bones of Creation had laughed. “My sword technique is something no thief can steal! Do you dare to face me?”_

_”I’ve grown to find the sword a tiresome weapon.” Rin had said, calmly pressing the herbs into the bowl of his pipe with his thumb. “Childish. It is fatuous to believe that to achieve mastery is to unveil the ultimate truth…” Rin laughed. “You devoted your life to such a futile pursuit. Practicing, honing your skills and hiding them like a precious treasure. That only demonstrates how fragile your delusion is. I look forward to crushing it. Come!” With a sweep of his arm, Rin cast an arch of fire in Betsu Ten Gai’s direction._

_The Bones of Creation had laughed, effortlessly erecting a barrier with his qi and allowing the fire to pass by. “Fool! Here is your opponent!” Betsu Ten Gai smirked as he threw his wind whistle into the air, its piercing notes reverberating through the air._

”He called down one of his demon birds,” said Rin, looking into the distance while he spoke. “I was unsurprised by his cowardice. After all, he had spent his life hiding his swordsmanship, sending his minions to do his work. I don’t deny that he is strong. He’s a far stronger opponent than I’ve seen in some time… I digress. I cast an illusion on him as it approached, tricking him into believing that it was I. Unfortunately, the illusion had no effect on the bird. An oversight on my part. As you can see, it attacked me as well.” Rin gestured to several of his bandaged wounds. “In my alarm, the illusion broke.”

_Betsu Ten Gai had dispatched the bird with ease. Once he had realized what had happened, he had chuckled. “Tricks. Sorcery. A coward’s weapons.” A brief meteor walk brought him inches from Rin, and he struck out with the tengyoken. Rin swiftly summoned a shield of his qi and warded off the attack. A sweep of the hand sent a hail of energy in the form of needle-sharp feathers shooting down at his adversary._

”We fought for a time. Unarmed, I relied on some of my other tricks to survive.”

_Betsu Ten Gai disappeared in a dark mist, allowing the feathers to crash into the ground and dissipate. He reappeared only a moment later behind Rin, sword poised to strike. Rin avoided the blow as gracefully as a dancer, and then created another shield to deflect the follow up strike. His blood was rapidly spreading in a warm swath down his side. Cursed bird. He should have thought, but he’d been distracted by his own anticipation of victory._

”It was draining, of course, so I knew that I had to make a decision. I waited for an attack that was unlikely to kill me but would also bring him into close range, and then allowed him to hit me. In the instant his blow struck me, I blew ashes from my pipe into his face…”

_He had felt no pain at first. Only a dull ripping sensation as blade parted flesh. He staggered back, dropping his pipe, and then collapsed to the ground. His legs would no longer support him. He kept his gaze fixed on Betsu Ten Gai._

”I made him believe that he’d killed me. I was able to maintain consciousness until he departed. I assume that he went back to his tower.”

_As time slid by, Rin noticed that he was cold. When Betsu Ten Gai was finally out of sight, Rin exhaled and shut his eyes, assessing the damage. When the pain finally came, it took his breath away and he brought a hand up to his chest, in a feeble attempt to stem the flow of blood. In a detached way, he wondered whether he’d miscalculated._

”I woke up here. Now, was that everything that you wanted to know, Sho Fu Kan?”

”More or less,” the other man said. “You couldn’t have known that you’d survive. Seems like a pretty idiotic move for someone who’s supposed to be smart.”

Rin smiled. “I had a feeling that you’d arrive eventually. Either you would help me, or you wouldn’t. Why did you bother to save me, if you were thinking of killing me anyway?”

Sho sighed and shrugged, “It wouldn’t have been right to let you die. Not that I suppose you understand that sort of thing.”

”You wound me, Sho Fu Kan. Do I seem so immoral?”

”You seem like something…” Sho shook his head. The Enigmatic Gale’s complexion was nearly as white as his hair, and there were beads of sweat on his brow. “Lie back down,” Sho ordered, “you should worry more about coming up with a plan than your pride.”

Rin’s arms shook as he lowered himself back down. He despised it. He would crush Betsu Ten Gai. He’d kill his arrogance and render him unable to show his face before another living thing. Rin shut his eyes and took a shallow breath in and out. “A plan, yes. I was doing that when you so rudely interrupted me.”

”If you’re hiding anything, you’d better tell me sooner rather than later. I’m done with your tricks. If you double cross us again, I won’t hesitate to end your life.”

”Yes, yes… “

And so the two fell into silence. With his eyes closed, Rin listened as Sho got to his feet. It surprised him when he felt the cloth of his cape being pulled back up to his shoulders. The soft sound of footsteps came next, growing more distant. Finally, Sho lowered himself back into his place by the door with a sigh. The pitter patter of raindrops hitting the roof and shushing through the grass filled the quiet.


	4. Strategy

Though the shrine was a wealthy one, and spacious, the four companions found themselves sharing the one room. Tan Hi and Ken San Un had been soaked to the bone while they worked to erect a barrier to protect the shrine, and the goinshi thought that Ken had suffered the most from it. He had quietly put up with it though, offering whatever assistance he’d been able to give. Gently but firmly refusing any further help once they returned inside, she left him to sit with the other men while she changed her clothes and collected bedding and blankets from their various locations. When she returned and spread them on the ground, no one questioned her actions. It seemed that a wordless understanding had been reached. Not long ago, she would have been offended at the notion that she would sleep in such close proximity to three men. Now, it was only a comfort. Standing in her brother’s quarters, she sighed to herself as she gathered some of his old robes. What would he have thought of such shameful behavior? She ran her hand over the soft fabric, feeling a pang of regret. He wouldn’t need them again. Her heart ached, but leaving his possessions undisturbed would not bring his body back to life.

”Ken-sama,” Tan Hi said, quietly when she returned. The young man was sitting slumped against a wall, his head bowed. “You should change into these before you sleep.”

”Huh?” Ken looked up at her, and then at the bundle of clothes. “Oh, thanks.” He took them and rose, then looked down at where he’d sat. “My bad, I dripped all over the floor.” He knelt again and tried to soak up the water with his sodden cape. It only smeared.

Tan Hi smiled, kindly and stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “Please don’t trouble yourself. Go on.”

”Ah, right…” Ken frowned at the puddle and then rose. “Where should I…?”

”Follow me.” Tan Hi led him from the room. “If you wouldn’t mind giving me your clothing afterwards, I’ll hang them to dry.”

”I’ll do it. You should get some rest too, Tan Hi. You worked really hard today.”

Tan Hi hesitated, looking away and biting her lip in thought. After a moment, she turned to face him again. “Ken-sama… I noticed that you’ve seemed very subdued this evening. It’s unlike you. Does your wound pain you?”

”Ah. Sorry. A bit, but it’s fine.” In a way, he was grateful for the pain. It was a reminder that his brother had spared his life in the end, and it was the last thing that Shu Un Sho had given him. If it hurt, he felt that he deserved it. 

”It’s been a long day for all of us,” Tan Hi commented. “Once you’ve finished, I’ll change the bandaging for you.”

”Thanks.”

”It is I who should be thanking you,” Tan Hi lowered her gaze. “You could have joined your brother and The Night’s Lament, but you returned to save me. I am in your debt.”

Ken smiled in a weak parody of his usual cocky smirk. “The Frozen Wonder wouldn’t leave a lady to suffer…” He sighed and looked away. “My brother and that demon. They made their choices but I decided that I don’t want to live like that. I’m going to make a name for myself my own way, without doing anything I’d regret.”

Tan Hi smiled. “I’m glad. This suits you much better.”

Ken’s eyes widened and a blush spread across his cheeks. “Ah. Uhm.” He laughed, awkwardly. “Of course it does. I’m going to be a big hero one day, you know?”

”You already are,” said Tan Hi. “You were very brave.” She blinked, her eyes widening when she realized how outspoken she’d been. She stepped back and looked away again. “Excuse me.”

Ken stood looking at the door for a moment after Tan Hi retreated. It felt traitorous to think of such things when his brother had lost his life, and a demon threatened to destroy them at any moment. Still, Tan Hi was cute.

The room was quiet when Tan Hi returned. Rin Setsu A had still not stirred. Sho Fu Kan had opened the door a bit and stood looking out into the rain. His hand rested on his sword. Quietly, Tan Hi padded over to Rin and knelt down, touching his forehead and then pressing her fingers to his wrist.

”He’ll be fine,” interrupted Sho. He was looking at her from his place by the door.

Tan Hi gave a small frown. “Sho-sama, forgive me, but you entrusted the healing of him to me. It would be remiss of me to neglect that duty.”

”Just trying to save you the trouble,” Sho said. “He’s probably got more lives than a cat.”

”It was my first time treating such serious hurts. I feel it is my responsibility to do the best I can.”

”Alright. You should stop taking care of us when you’re done and get some rest, though. Will we know when there’s a reply from the other goinshi?”

”Yes,” Tan Hi answered, “But with this rain, the birds may take some time.”

”Fair enough,” said Sho. “About San Un. Did he tell you what happened earlier?”

”No, he didn’t say much. Simply that you’d convinced him not to attack Yo Jya Rei. He was uncharacteristically quiet.”

”Well, Shu Un Sho is dead. I couldn’t really tell what had killed him, but his body was down there with the demon. That kid saw it.”

”Oh, my.” Tan Hi raised a hand to her lips, shocked, and then looked away. “It’s no wonder that he was quiet… Ken-sama was very distraught after having fought him. I can only imagine…”

”Just thought that you should know. If the kid hasn’t said anything, he probably doesn’t want to talk about it yet.”

Tan Hi nodded. “Thank you. I understand.”

The girl returned to her work and Sho watched, wondering if he should tell her that her patient had been awake. He decided against it and slid the door shut with a click. A glance in Rin’s direction told him that the thief had truly fallen asleep. A rare sight.

They found their rest late into the night. Though none had expected to find sleep easily, the toils of the day had worn on them. The rain gave the air a fresh scent, and its sough lulled them into slumber.

Sho was a light sleeper. When he awoke, he knew not what had caused it, but he was instantly alert. He sat up, one hand grasping his sword instinctively. His eyes scanned the dim light of the room. It was nearly dawn. He exhaled as he realized the source of the disturbance.

Rin was sitting up, but doubled forward with his head hanging over his bent knees. He had his arms curled tightly to his chest and his breath came in ragged and shallow gasps that were audible in the stillness of the morning. Some time that night the rain must have stopped. Sho frowned and got to his feet, crossing the few steps between them and bending down to touch Rin’s shoulder. “Hey. What’s wrong?” The white haired man lashed out, knocking Sho’s hand aside. Sho drew back, surprised, and blinked while Rin stared up at him with wide, unseeing eyes. Sho’s gaze was caught by the patch of red spreading slowly through the other man’s bandages. “Careful. Look at what you did,” he frowned and reached forward again.

”Don’t!” Rin snarled, pulling away.

Sho took a step back, holding his hands up.

”What’s going on?” Ken demanded, roused by the shout. He had his spear in his hand in an instant, and stood between Tan Hi and the rest of the room. Tan Hi had her own blade held ready, and her wide eyes scanned their surroundings for danger.

It took a moment, but Sho watched as Rin’s eyes focused and his expression shuttered into one of mild embarrassment. His entire posture shifted and he smiled abashedly. “My sincere apologies. Our dear friend startled me, and I’m afraid that I overreacted somewhat.”

Sho snorted in disbelief. “Excuse me for trying to be helpful.” He turned his back and walked back to his bedding, sitting down with a huff.

Tan Hi sighed. “I’m relieved that it was nothing more serious. Are you well, Ki-. Rin-sama?“ She lowered her weapon, but pointedly did not sheath it.

”Quite,” answered Rin. He didn’t manage quite the same air of mystique without his headpiece and elaborate garments, but he appeared calm and confident, in sharp contrast to his earlier alarm. Sho could almost be convinced that he’d dreamed it. Rin’s intelligent eyes focused on the goinshi. “I doubt that either of these men are skilled in the arts of healing. Thank you for your assistance, miss Tan Hi. To provide your aid after I’d seemingly betrayed you was admirable.”

”Seemingly?” scoffed Ken.

”Seemingly,” agreed, Rin. “After all, I had no interest in keeping the sword for myself. I would have returned it to the lady as promised.”

”As if. You’re a thief.”

”I am. And I see that you are all aware of my identity. Who could have revealed it…?” He tapped his lips in thought, “Well, no matter. A thief steals, true, but not constantly. And I happen to have more refined tastes than most. The sword would have been hers.”

Ken growled, but Tan Hi stepped forward and spoke before he could. “I have not forgotten your betrayal, Enigmatic Gale, but neither have I forgotten that you came to my aid. I owed you a debt.”

Rin noted the past tense and bowed his head, “Consider it paid.” He slid his gaze over to Sho Fu Kan, who sat with his arms crossed. Rin huffed a small laugh. “Of course, if Sir Sho had been able to adhere to the plan, we might not have been in this predicament.”

Sho scoffed. “Don’t give me that bullshit. You can’t pawn the blame off on me. You led us right into that trap.”

Ken tapped the end of his spear on the ground, “That’s right. If you hadn’t been scheming, none of this would have happened.” He ground his teeth. “If you hadn’t sent that message, my brother…”

”Would still have been a criminal.” Rin played with one of the feathers of his cape, which remained draped over his legs. He pushed the cape aside. Clad only in his bandages and his trousers, he was mildly surprised that the goinshi had been able to look at him long enough to do her work. It was cold. He looked left and right to see if he could find his shirt and robe.

”Why you…” Ken growled.

Tan Hi put a hand on Ken’s arm, but still frowned at Rin. “You are in my home and on sacred ground. I ask that you be respectful.”

”My apologies, miss Tan Hi,” Rin said, smoothly. “Disrespect was not my intention. Merely honesty.” He looked from one to the other of them, and considered how he could win back their good favour, at least temporarily. They were all too unique. If he won one, would the others follow? Who was most likely to forgive him? Ken San Un was unlikely, but the goinshi had a kind nature, and Sho Fu Kan was surprisingly lenient, despite his threats.

Sho sighed in exasperation. “That’s enough. I’m getting tired of all of this bickering. Rin, keep your mouth shut unless you can say something useful.”

”Oh. You have a plan, then?” Rin asked.

”Tan Hi sent messages to the other goinshi last night,” Sho said. “To let them know the situation and see if anyone will be able to help. If any are willing to bring their shinkai makai, then we might be able to use one of those and worry about Betsu Ten Gai later.”

”Hm… Fine in theory, of course. Provided that they don’t have demons under their shrines as well.”

”This isn’t a time for jokes, you asshole!” Ken glared.

Rin smiled benignly and pulled the pile of his clothing over. He gave the shirt up as useless, and then lifted the robe. After an aborted attempt to pull it on, he winced, pressing a hand against his injured side. “Would one of you mind…?”

Ken turned away with a huff.

Tan Hi frowned.

”Good grief…” Sho sighed and got to his feet, walking back over. “Do you have to be so obnoxious this early?” He knelt down and pulled the robe from Rin’s hands. With more efficiency than gentleness, he helped Rin to put it on.

”Thank you, Sir Sho.” Rin smiled.

Sho narrowed his eyes suspiciously and retreated, stretching. “Well, we’re all up now. We might as well see what we can do about this end of the world thing.”


	5. A Change in Perspective

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very happy that this fic has been so well received! Thank you very much.

”How could this be…?” Tan Hi asked of the wind, bowing her head sadly over the small handful of missives.

The group was seated in the room that had become their base, a small table taking the place of their bedding. They had parted ways for a small time that morning.

_”Tan Hi, go check if any birds have come, and see that the wards are still functioning. San Un, go see if you can catch some fish. I’ll go to the village and buy some food.”_

_”Pardon the interruption, Sir Sho Fu Kan,” Rin interrupted, raising a hand. “But I doubt the people have forgotten that anyone caught dealing with you will be branded an enemy of the Genkishu.”_

_”Ah. Right. I had forgotten about that,” Sho said, frowning in consternation._

_”Moreover, had the Genkishu taken the trouble to pillage this place, they probably would have burnt it to the ground, and miss Tan Hi’s possessions seem to be undisturbed. It’s likely that we have all we need right here.”_

_”I guess you’re right,” Sho said, scratching his nose. He hated to step into a leadership role unless it was absolutely necessary, being somewhat of a lone wolf, and Rin’s corrections were already making it awkward._

_Tan Hi’s expression turned sad. “I’m not sure. We always had other people seeing to such things. I’m afraid that they were either killed or had fled during the attack.”_

_”You may leave that to me,” offered Rin._

_”Says the guy who doesn’t do anything if he can make someone else do it,” grumbled Sho in disbelief. “Besides, you should take it easy. It looked like you hurt yourself earlier.”_

_Rin narrowed his eyes momentarily at the reference to his earlier panic, but the look was gone in an instant. He smiled. “Oh ho. Thank you for your kind offer of assistance, Sho Fu Kan.”_

_”Huh?” Sho raised his eyebrows, and then scowled as he realized that he’d been tricked. He sighed. “I walked right into that one, didn’t I? Well, let’s get started.”_

Rin tapped his fingers on the table and watched Tan Hi’s despair impassively. “Is it really so surprising? After all, neither you nor your brother thought to unseal the tengyoken to wield it against the Bones of Creation.”

”But…” said Tan Hi. “They say that it is their duty to protect their shinkai makai above all else… Don’t they see that if Yo Jya Rei is unleashed, we will all be in great danger?”

”Hmm.” Rin hummed.

”Don’t hold it against them,” said Sho. “There was a time when you would have thought the same way, remember?”

”I was just so sure that they would rally to our cause… Is this truly what the world is like?”

Ken's eyes widened and he hurried to cheer her up. “Don’t worry, Tan Hi. We’re not going to let that bastard Betsu Ten Gai get away with this. We’ll banish Yo Jya Rei and get the tengyoken back without their help.”

Tan Hi bowed her head. 

Reflecting on their position, Rin seethed internally. He’d been too confident, and it had been costly. Not only had Betsu Ten Gai escaped feeling as though he’d beaten the Enigmatic Gale, Yo Jya Rei was a threat that even he could not ignore. It was infuriating. Rin took a calming breath. No. Betsu Ten Gai believed him dead, and that was a fact that could be used to his advantage. Focus was far more useful than anger. Yes.

”This leaves us with three options,” said Rin, outwardly calm. “The first is that I could steal one of the shinkai makai from another goinshi.”

Tan Hi gasped and stared at Rin with wide eyes, horrified at the thought.

Rin continued, undaunted. “The second is that I attempt to create another weapon of equivalent strength. Forgery is not my only skill. Unfortunately, that demands time and resources that we may not have. Which leads me to the third option. We steal the tengyoken back from Betsu Ten Gai.”

”Yo Jya Rei is still sleeping,” Ken pointed out, “If we find Kei Gai and stop her from performing her ritual, then he won’t wake up. Even if the tengyoken is gone, couldn’t we just bury him again and leave him there?”

”I suppose it might work for a time,” agreed Rin. “However, what are the odds that Kei Gai has kept this knowledge to herself? We would need to stop an army of demons, and they would continue to attack this place until they succeeded. Possibly for generations.”

”I guess the best choice we have is going after old Betsu Ten Gai,” said Sho. “Alright.”

”Ah. Wait a moment, Sho Fu Kan.” Rin said. “He’ll be expecting it, so it won’t be an easy task.”

Sho growled. ”If you’re about to suggest that we recruit more of your ‘friends’ to help, sorry, but I don’t want to hear it. That didn’t work out so well for us last time.”

”No, no, no. Doing that would only attract attention to us…” Rin sighed and looked at his empty hand. “I lost my pipe during the excitement yesterday. I don’t suppose you would be willing to find it for me?” Sho narrowed his eyes. Before he could tell him where to shove the pipe, Rin added, “And while you’re there, there should be some bones from a demon bird scattered about. If you wouldn’t mind fetching me some of those…”

”What are you planning?” Sho asked.

”The wind whistles that the Genkishu use are crafted from the bones of the birds themselves. I had the opportunity to hold one, thanks to your quick thinking outside of the Labyrinth of Darkness. I’m confident that I could replicate it.”

”You sure?”

”Do you doubt me?” He did not want to remind the others that his forgery of the guard had been good enough to fool Tan Hi. Instead, he preened and said: “I’m sure that you’ve heard of my reputation by now…”

”Sorry, I don’t know anything about it. I’m not interested in it, either. If you can pull it off, that’ll save us a lot of time, though, I have to admit.”

”So we’re going to fly to Seven Sins Tower?” asked Ken.

”Precisely. With luck, they won’t be expecting it this time.”

”I warn you, Rin Setsu A,” Sho said. “I’m watching you. No tricks.”

Rin hummed and gauged Sho’s expression, analyzing what he knew of Sho’s opinion of him. He waved a hand dismissively. ”I have no need to dissemble. After all, all of you know my true identity. I have nothing to gain from deceiving you, either. I’d like humanity to survive as much as you would. People are my greatest source of entertainment! The world would be terribly dull without them.”

”Hah. Well, the more of a jerk you sound like, the more I believe it’s your true face. Let’s hope this works.”

Rin watched Sho leave the room, and picked up his cup of tea, calmly taking a sip. Sho Fu Kan definitely did not trust him. He tolerated him, though. His eyes shifted over to Tan Hi and the boy. Sho’s distrust would only feed theirs. How troublesome.

The carving of the demon bird bones was not a simple task. It was not complex, by any means, but the age of the bones affected their stability, and any mistake in the pitch created by the whistle would risk angering the birds rather than subjugating them. It was an appealingly delicate task, and Rin took some pleasure in gently coaxing angles and curves out of the hard material. His pipe, retrieved by a grudging Sho Fu Kan, was transformed into his tool. He channeled a fine stream of qi into it, so that it was his energy rather than the metal itself that etched the bone. Where necessary, he channeled his energy further, into the bone itself, feeling, adjusting, knowing, and changing. It was wonderful.

Ken sighed. “This is taking forever.”

Rin narrowed his eyes and looked up. “Don’t be impatient. Rushing would ruin my work. You don’t want to be eaten by a demon bird, do you?”

Sho chuckled. It was rare to see the thief irritated. 

Ken scowled at Sho, misunderstanding. “I wouldn’t get eaten. Besides, what I meant is that in the time it’s taken to do this, we could have been on our way. We’d get there even faster if we took the spirit vein again.”

”This way has the advantage of surprise,” said Rin. “And of allowing us to bypass the three challenges. We no longer have a necromancer or an archer in our company, after all.”

”Hah. Not that they were much good,” commented Sho, peevishly. “Come with me, San Un. We’ll do a patrol. I trust Tan Hi’s barrier, but it’ll be better to know if any demons are coming before they’re swarming at the gate.”

”Right,” Ken rose and took up his spear. The two departed.

Tan Hi was left alone with the thief. “Is there any way that I can be of assistance?”

”Not particularly,” answered Rin, already lost in his work. He paused as he realized that this might be a valuable opportunity. He supposed it was worth breaking his concentration for a few more moments. “I thank you for the offer, of course. You’ve already been of great help. There are few people who would offer me their assistance, knowing who I really am. It is a testament to your kind nature.”

Tan Hi looked at the table, turning her cup between her palms. “I grew up without ever leaving the sacred grounds… In the time that I’ve travelled with you, I have learned much of human nature.”

Rin shifted his attention to a less delicate piece of work so that he could devote some of his focus to the conversation. “Oh? Are you disappointed?”

Tan Hi bowed her head. “At first I despaired. It shocked me that the world was such a cruel place. I wondered how I could have been so foolish as to believe that every person acted out of a place of kindness. I have been able to see some goodness in it, though. The world is a much more complex and nuanced place than ever I imagined.”

The thief nodded, but kept silent. He wanted the shy girl to continue her thought. Silence was often more effective than questions when it came to getting people to speak their minds.

Tan Hi took a breath and tightened her grip on her cup. “So, I think, am I. I am capable of kindness, yes, but I am capable of anger, hate, and vengeance, as well. I am still deciding how to feel about this new knowledge.”

Rin added a careful curve to the side of the whistle, paying close attention to the angle at each point. When Tan Hi hesitated to go on, he asked: “And? Do you hate me, miss Tan Hi?”

”I am unsure. I only ask that you be aware that I did not spend my years in this sanctuary idly. I’ve mastered my family’s sword techniques. If you betray us, I will not rely on Sho-sama. I will hunt you down myself.”

Rin set the bit of bone down and looked at Tan Hi. The girl’s posture was perfect. He met her eyes and she held his gaze steadily. He smiled. “I am aware of your swordsmanship skills, miss Tan Hi. You certainly spilled more blood than I did on this journey.”

Tan Hi bowed her head, “As long as you are aware.”


	6. Moving Forward

Ken San Un and Sho Fu Kan walked the perimeter of the shrine, looking for breaks in the ward and for any signs that they’d been spied upon during the night. Aware that the threat to their lives was very real, Sho was cautious and quiet until it was time for them to make a check of the buildings. He was somewhat impressed that San Un managed to stay silent for so long. The boy was usually full of restless energy. Sho shook his head to himself. Had he ever been that enthusiastic? He wasn’t sure. It seemed like a waste to get so worked up over everything. Maybe he was just getting old.

At the entrance to the building that was once home to the tengyoken, he paused. “I can check on this one alone, if that makes you more comfortable.” Sho rubbed his chin and glanced back towards the living quarters. “In fact, you could probably go back and see how the others are doing. I don’t really trust Rin Setsu A not to try manipulating Tan Hi some how.”

”No,” San Un shook his head firmly. “I’m not going to pretend that my brother’s death didn’t happen.”

”Suit yourself,” said Sho. It was his decision to make, after all. Stepping inside, Sho scanned the interior of the building. Tan Hi had put up a multitude of paper seals. They were fine work, and none of them seemed to have been disturbed. The room smelled strangely, like the too-sweet scent of decay and something almost reptilian. Sho paused in his circuit of the room to inspect one of the paintings. It was beautifully done, but he didn’t care much for the artist’s chosen subject matter. Who wanted a painting of the War of the Fading Dusk? It struck him as a little grim, no matter how relevant it was. Why not celebrate all that the sword had saved, instead? Well, it’s not like it mattered.

Turning around, he glanced over at San Un. He’d expected the boy to be looking down into the pit again, but instead he was standing by the opposite wall.

”What is it?” asked Sho.

Ken reached forward and, with a tug, pulled something loose from the wall. He turned around, holding an arrow in his hands. He rolled the shaft between his fingers, turning it and watching as the metal of the tip caught and reflected the low light. “This was his.”

Sho understood. “He must have tried to get one last shot at someone.”

Without another word, Ken tucked the arrow into his belt.

Tan Hi stood in the practice yard. It was a beautiful place, decorated with elegant statuary and bright flowers that lured butterflies and other insects into the space. The shrine was on the side of a mountain, and a small stream flowed nearby, adding its music to the birdcalls and, at one time, to the ring of steel on steel that had been commonplace when she and her brother had practiced together. Once she had graduated from a wooden sword, she and her brother had worked through the forms with dulled practice blades and finally with their own weapons. Tan Ko had always seemed so calm and competent when they practiced together, and so wise when they studied the ancient scriptures. He really should have been the one to survive, Tan Hi thought. It was quiet in the practice yard now, and she stood holding her blade halfheartedly.

Revenge, swordplay, and violence. Was that truly what she had become? Tan Hi thought with sadness on the last few weeks. Since her brother’s death, it seemed that all of the goodness in her had departed with his spirit. What sort of a woman was she to be driven by her desire for revenge? To threaten a man’s life? Her years had been spent mastering her clan’s sword techniques for the purpose of defending the tengyoken. Even in that, she was a failure. She had failed to save the sword and failed to kill Betsu Ten Gai. If Ken San Un was to be believed, then even her mastery of the Tan sword techniques was useless because of her gender. Unskilled in the ways of men, and unlearned in the ways of women. She felt a failure in both worlds.

What must Ken San Un think of her? She had been no more able to cook their breakfast that morning than she had been able to avenge her brother. She did not even have wisdom to redeem her. Tan Hi bowed her head as hurt welled in her breast. She had truly believed that the goinshi would rush to their aid. Just as she had believed in the goodness of Kicho, who had been revealed to be the Enigmatic Gale. Tan Ko would not have been so gullible, Tan Hi thought bitterly.

She held her blade ready, falling naturally into her stance and began to move through the forms, feeling the weight and balance of her blade. One… Two… She paused as she recalled the feeling of her blade piercing flesh and lowered her weapon again. She had ended lives with that blade. Where was the gentleness in that? But, in order to retrieve the tengyoken and destroy Yo Jya Rei, surely such things were necessary.

Six… Seven… Tan Hi continued her practice. What foolishness it was to worry over her femininity and the opinion of a man when there were much larger things at stake. She berated herself as she swung her blade, lashing out at an imaginary foe and then bending back to dodge. As she righted herself, she swung her blade forward again in a downward stroke. A horizontal slash to hold her enemy at bay was followed by a lunge and a spin.

Twelve. Tan Hi took a breath and focused as she swung her blade in a wide arc and stepped forward.

Some time later, he knew not how long, Rin had completed the carving of two whistles, and was nearly done another. Tan Hi had departed shortly after their conversation, and he was alone in the room. It was quiet, and he was glad for the chance to work without needing to spend effort on being aware of other people. He set the piece down to wipe the sweat from his brow. His hand shook as he lowered it and he clenched his fist to still the tremors. He couldn’t afford any mistakes. After a brief pause to gather himself, he resumed his work.

Involving Kei Gai and Shu Un Sho had been a grievous error. That was a painful but necessary realization, and he would not soon forget it. It seemed that his own arrogance had been too great this time. How humiliating. Of course he had not been so foolish as to assume that they would willingly honour the bargain they’d struck, but he had assumed that he’d had them under control. The assumption had not been wrong, exactly. He had simply failed to account for the variable that was Sho Fu Kan.

The visitor from Xi You was a mystery. A man didn’t cross the Wasteland of Spirits without a good reason, even if that man had mastered such a powerful fighting technique. Rin was intrigued. If he was to make the best use of his new friend, he would need to learn more.

Rin held his breath as he pushed his qi into the wind whistle, feeling the way the bone curved and anticipating the way that it would sing. Carefully, he imbued the object with purpose. The song that would flow through it would carry the intention he gave it and bend the demon bird’s will. It was artful and delicate work. While he teased out the finer points and adjusted the occasional curve, he allowed the task to hold his focus.

The silence was disturbed by the sound of the door opening. ”Nothing unusual out there,” Sho announced as he stepped inside. “It’s a bit suspicious if you ask me.”

”Where’s Tan Hi?” Ken asked, looking left and right.

”Ah, you two,” Rin said without so much as a glance in their direction and an uninterested tone. “She was here a moment ago, if I recall…”

“You didn’t upset her, did you?”

Rin dismissed the boy’s question from his mind and gently smoothed the edges of one of the holes that penetrated into the hollow of the whistle.

”Hey, don’t ignore me!” Ken strode closer and leaned over, casting a shadow over Rin. “I don’t care if you’re some big-shot thief. I haven’t seen you lift a finger this entire journey. I bet you can’t even fight, can you?”

”Oi. Ken, settle down.” Sho scolded, exasperated. He hauled the boy back by the nape of his neck.

Ken shrugged Sho off with a growl.

Rin looked up, set down his carving, and smiled like a snake showing off its fangs. The boy was brazen. His ignorance added to his charm, really. He was like a puppy. He wondered if he was as amenable to being trained. A good dog knew who to bark at. “I choose not to fight in the traditional sense,” Rin said, deciding to humour the blonde. He preferred a more subtle form of attack.

”Hah.” Ken scoffed. “You don’t even carry a weapon. Are you an idiot or something?”

”Ken, seriously. Shut the hell up.” Sho shook his head. “What’s gotten into you?”

”Me? What about you?” Ken rounded on Sho, “When I said that we should go back to Seven Sins Tower to get the sword back, you said it was reckless. Then this guy suggests it and it’s fine? Why are you on his side, anyway? We could have left him here and gone ourselves.”

”Side?” Sho drew back, puzzled. “I’m not on anybody’s side. Anyway, aren’t we all working toward the same goal?”

Rin interrupted. “Ken San Un, I never said that it would be as simple as flying to Seven Sins Tower. Though I suggested the use of these whistles as a means of getting there, I said nothing about the act of actually retrieving the sword.”

Ken leveled the tip of his spear at Rin’s face, pointing it at him menacingly. “And how do we know you’re not just tricking us into something again? For all we know, you’re a fox demon and you’ve wanted Yo Jya Rei to be freed all along.”

Rin sighed and transformed his carving blade into his pipe, looking at the point of Ken’s spear and then at the boy himself. “If that were the case, I would simply stand aside and wait... As for whether or not I’m currently deceiving you, the nature of deception is such that it relies heavily on the victim’s own expectations. An illusion that is too far-fetched will never hold. Trickery, when expected, is almost certainly doomed to fail.” Unless the trick was so seemingly impossible that it would never even be considered. Rin did not include that stipulation because it would not help his case. “In that way, for as long as you suspect me I suppose that you’re safe… On the other hand, if you refuse to trust me it will be impossible for us to work together.”

Sho grabbed hold of Ken’s spear and shoved it out of the way so that he could sit down at the table. He scoffed at Rin. “You just said a whole lot of nothing, basically.”

Ken growled. “Neither of you are taking me seriously. Fine, then. Rin Setsu A, I challenge you to fight me!”

Sho turned to look at Ken. “Hey, are you serious right now?”

Rin studied the boy, his expression impassive. Unlike Tan Hi, Ken San Un did not seem like the type to have an appreciation for grey areas. He was too impatient and idealistic… Ah. “It is admirable of you to seek to avenge your brother’s death, even after he showed his true colours. You blame me because of my reputation and because it was my message that allowed Shu Un Sho to cross paths with the Bones of Creation, am I correct?” He did not pause for a reply. “I will be happy to indulge you. If you still feel the same way once we’ve dealt with Yo Jya Rei.” 

Ken glared and the end of his spear made a harsh sound as it thudded against the floor. A moment passed and Rin felt a small flare of satisfaction. Ken turned away, “Fine. But if you try any tricks, I’ll kill you. You can’t run from me like you ran from the Screaming Phoenix Killer.”

”Perfect,” said Rin. His three companions would feel more at ease now that they’d each had their turn warning him. As if that would deter him. That was why good, kind people were no fun to deceive. Even when they were on their guards, they still trusted in their feeble defenses. Betsu Ten Gai on the other hand, his blind spot was elsewhere. Now that he had what he wanted, he would not stir from his nest until it was time to prove his sword against what he imagined to be the ultimate adversary.

Ken scowled darkly and spun around, striding back outside.

Sho sighed in exasperation.

Rin raised an eyebrow. “Do you have something to say, sir Sho?”

Sho shook his head. “Nope. I’m not getting involved. What you idiots decide to do is your business.”

Rin hummed and picked up his carving again. Again, he used silence as his weapon. Sho was his best choice as a starting point for regaining the others’ trusts. Come to think of it, Sho had served a similar function even before the mess with Yo Jya Rei. Rin amused himself with that thought. After a moment, Sho continued.

”I can’t read you at all, though. Would you really kill that kid? Your teacher died, and you seemed to know that Setsu Mu Sho from way back. Shu Un Sho, too. All of these people are dying and you don’t seem to care at all.”

”Why would I dwell on things like that?” Rin asked, transforming his pipe and adding a few finishing touches to the third whistle. “There are much more appealing things to consider. You for instance. What would motivate a man to cross such a treacherous landscape as the Wasteland of Spirits, I wonder.”

”Well, it just sort of ended up that way. Before I knew it, I was in Dong Li. There wasn’t any plan behind it.”

A laugh was startled from Rin’s lips before he had time to consider it. “As expected. You’re a mystery, Sho Fu Kan.” Finished, Rin set the whistle down next to its brothers. He then brought his gaze up to meet Sho’s. “I look forward to solving you.”

”You’re one to talk,” said Sho. He looked away and gestured to the whistles. “You’re not using a blade to make those things.”

Rin smiled thinly. “The crafting of magical items seldom lends itself to such brute force. That is one of the many things that I learned from Ren Ki, whom you mentioned earlier. Speaking of brute force,” he held up the corner of his robe. “Someone seems to have cut this. I don’t suppose that you would know anything about that?”

Sho huffed and crossed his arms. ”Sorry for trying to save your damn life. Ungrateful bastard.”

”You could make it up to me,” suggested Rin. “I have yet to hear the entire tale of what occurred while you took my place to receive payment from the Bones of Creation.”

”I don’t see how any of that is important,” said Sho. “You already know everything that matters.”

”Nevertheless, I’d still like to hear the story of what transpired from your perspective. Think of it as a way to pass the time.”

”Hey, I have my concerns about that too. Are we just going to sit here and prepare for siege? How many demons are there in the human world, anyway? If you’re expecting Kei Gai to raise an army, then I don’t think that the four of us are going to cut it.”

”The demon world is sealed off from our world under normal circumstances. That’s why banishing the other demon gods back to their world was a viable option during the War of Fading Dusk. If they could have come back, it would have been rather useless, wouldn’t you agree? The demons that remained behind are few in number, though certainly not to be dismissed. They will be far stronger opponents than the Genkishu. They will only be a problem, however, if Yo Jya Rei is freed from his slumber. A creature of such strength would surely be able to open another rift into the demon world, and the War of Fading Dusk would return. As for the rest of your question, no. Only a fool would sit and wait to be attacked. I would be able to plan much more effectively, though, if you were to tell me what exactly went on while we went our separate ways.”

Rin smirked when he saw Sho’s disgruntled expression. The swordsman sighed and took Rin’s cup of tea, long gone cold, and downed it. “Fine. I can’t say it’s very interesting though…”

Ken San Un found Tan Hi eventually, and he paused to watch her as she worked through the forms. She was beautiful, like a flower or a bird. Watching how hard she was working to fulfill her duty made him long all the more to be able to do something useful instead of all of the sitting around they’d been doing since that morning. What did the Enigmatic Gale need to make the stupid whistles for, anyway? They could go on foot, or try to track down the Night’s Lament and kill her before she could raise an army and ambush them. It was the Enigmatic Gale’s fault this whole mess had happened in the first place.

Ken blinked, noticing that Tan Hi was standing still and looking at him. “Ah. Uh. Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt you or anything.”

Tan Hi sheathed her sword. “Not at all.” She turned away, looking at the grass. “I simply could not sit idly while knowing that we would once more be confronting Betsu Ten Gai.”

”That’s what I’ve been thinking!” Ken came a few steps closer. “It feels like a waste just sitting here. It’s like they’re not taking this seriously at all.”

Tan Hi shook her head, “Rather than that, it is my impression that the others are simply exercising caution. We could be facing attack any moment from Kei Gai, and Betsu Ten Gai will not be an easy opponent. To face both sides at once with our limited resources will require cunning. Something that the Enigmatic Gale excels in.”

”Hah. The Enigmatic Gale. Betsu Ten Gai should have just finished him off.”

Tan Hi gasped, “Ken-sama!”

Ken scowled. “He tricked you and got you locked in a cage! He was using you this whole time. Using all of us! The Screaming Phoenix Killer and my brother both died because of him. He had a chance to defeat the Bones of Creation, but then he failed and let him escape. Now Yo Jya Rei might get woken up and we’re just sitting here because he wanted to carve some stupid whistles.”

Tan Hi frowned, “Whatever his motivations, I believe that he is working with us to stop Yo Jya Rei and retrieve the tengyoken. What other reason could he have for remaining here, when he could simply flee?”

Ken opened his mouth to reply, and then shut it again with a sigh. He looked away. Suddenly he just didn’t feel like arguing about it, and having Tan Hi be mad at him would just be too much. “Sorry. Maybe you’re right. I’m just frustrated. Say, do you want a practice partner? I’d feel better if I could work off some steam. If I’m not bothering you, that is.”

”I haven’t practiced with someone other than my brother for years…”

”It might help to get used to other opponents, right?”

Tan Hi hesitated a moment and then nodded, “Alright.” She drew her sword again, adjusting her grip so that she would strike with the blunt edge.

Ken took hold of his spear and got into his stance, relieved to be able to focus on something that he was good at. Words were never his strong point. “Okay! You attack first, got it?”

Tan Hi narrowed her eyes in concentration and then struck, slowly at first, and then more quickly as she grew bolder. Ken kept on the defensive, allowing her to test different strikes against the reach of his spear. “You might have to pay more attention to your footwork,” he advised, “and try to find a way to get inside my reach.”

”I know that,” Tan Hi said, frowning as she tested herself. Ken waited a few more moves before surprising Tan Hi by deflecting her blow and then following with a swipe to drive her back a step. He thrust forward with the end of his spear carefully, giving her a chance to knock it aside. Tan Hi took the change in stride, and soon they were trading attacks.

It was fun, Ken thought as they found a rhythm. They soon grew comfortable enough to test one another, throwing in new attacks that forced the other to decide how to react and then retrying old ones to reinforce something that worked or experiment with a new block.

Ken aimed another attack, which Tan Hi blocked with ease. It was nice to see her learning. He brought his spear around to block and then blinked, stunned, as the flat of Tan Hi’s blade contacted his arm.

Tan Hi noticed his expression and drew back, “Oh, I’m sorry! Did I hurt you, Ken-sama?”

Ken frowned, “No, I just- I couldn’t see it. I guess I’m not used to having to move my head so much to see in that direction… It was harder to aim too.” Growing more distressed by that realization, Ken relaxed his stance and bowed his head. His grip tightened on the spear.

Tan Hi came forward, cautiously touching Ken’s sleeve. “With practice I’m sure that you’ll be able to learn how to compensate.”

Ken shook his head. “We don’t have time, Tan Hi. The world could end any time now. What use am I going to be if I can’t even fight?”

”You’re a great fighter, Ken-sama. It’s obvious that you’ve spent many years practicing. Your body remembers what to do and you will adapt to using only one eye.”

”I hope so…” Ken sighed.

When Sho Fu Kan’s tale was completed, he leaned back and crossed his arms while Rin tapped his finger against the stem of his pipe in thought. “Well? I told you that nothing useful happened.” And it was true. Though, what went on in that guy’s head was a mystery. Sho took the moment to study his companion. Aside from learning that he was supposedly a master thief, Sho felt as though he knew no more about his companion than he had at the start of their journey. It was even difficult to tell just how old the man was.

Rin narrowed his eyes and looked over. “Is there a problem, sir Sho?”

”Ah, no, nothing.” Sho said. “Just realized that…”

”Hmm?” 

Sho shook his head. “No, never mind. I’ve decided that I don’t want to know.”

Rin laughed and Sho thought that perhaps the expression was genuine. Of course, it was hard to tell with someone supposedly skilled at deception. The other man’s eyes squinted shut and his eyebrows drew together. 

Sho frowned, “What?”

Rin waved his pipe in a broad gesture, shaking his head, “No, no. Nothing at all.”

Whatever he was, the man was certainly eccentric. Sho looked down at the whistles. They were impressive work to have been created in such a short period of time. “You sure these things are going to work?” he asked, picking one up and hefting the weight.

”Of course,” the white haired man said. “We’ll have the chance to test them soon.”

Before Sho could ask what he meant by that, the door opened and Tan Hi was followed inside by Ken.

”Good, you’re back,” said Rin. “Miss Goinshi, if I could trouble you for a few things, I believe that I have a plan.”

Tan Hi blinked at the odd welcome and then nodded. “What is it that you need?”

”A change of clothes and a weapon, if you would be so kind.”

Sho frowned. “Where are you going?”

”We are going for a walk.”


	7. Enemies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a very short chapter, but I don't think I'll be able to sleep unless I post something! I'm sorry for the delay. More will follow soon!

The further they walked from the shrine, the less Sho felt that this was a good idea. Whatever the idea was. Sho sighed, glancing back at his… companion? No. Walking irritation. Rin had asked to see the site of the last battle Sho’d had with the genkishu, and had suggested that Tan Hi and Ken stay behind to guard the shrine. When Ken grumbled that it stank of a trap, Sho was inclined to agree.

But it had been his idea to keep Rin alive and to listen to what he’d had to say. It would be a hassle to try to come up with something else now. He sighed again and looked away. This whole quest was a pain in the ass.

It was slow progress, too. Rin was limping horribly, and looking very different without his usual elaborate costume. He’d surprised them all by choosing the plainest garb that Tan Hi had to offer. The incline as they descended the hill seemed to be challenging Rin, and Sho paused again to allow him to catch up.

”I don’t suppose you’ll tell me what you’re so desperate to see,” Sho remarked.

”All in good time, my friend,” Rin said, stopping at Sho’s side. Sho eyed him suspiciously. Rin spoke lightly, but the sheen of sweat on his brow and the irritated twist to his lips belied his tone. Whatever it was that had captured the thief’s interest, it must have been important.

They began to walk again. Sho scowled. “I still don’t understand why you’re so invested in this nonsense. You paid for all of our expenses at the inns, and the boat. You were almost cut in half last night, and it must have taken a lot of energy to make those whistles. Sure, I could understand wanting to get rid of Yo Jya Rei, but you don’t really give a shit about that, do you?”

Rin smiled. “I told you, did I not? Betsu Ten Gai has something that I want to steal. Money? Money is easily come by and easily spent. It’s a more important thing that I’m after.”

”The ethos of a champion or whatever?”

”Yes, that’s the one.” Rin stumbled then, and Sho held out an arm reflexively to catch him.

”Hey, are you sure about this? You can hardly walk.”

”A minor inconvenience,” Rin said. He nevertheless held onto Sho’s arm for the rest of the descent, and Sho only barely resisted the urge to shake him off.

The air was humid from the recent rain, and warm. When they reached the clearing where Sho had slain the genkishu pursuing him, it was immediately obvious because of the smell. Sho raised a sleeve to cover his nose. He’d smelled death before, but that didn’t make it any more pleasant. “Ugh,” he grunted. “Are you going to take long? This smell is disgusting.”

”Not at all,” Rin said. He let go of Sho’s arm and took in the gruesome scene. “Hmm.” He limped a few paces, his eyes roving over every corpse. When they chose to attack him, Sho’d had no choice but to end their lives. Some of them were almost unrecognizable. One man’s head had been blown to bits, and there were crows picking over the soupy remains.

Rin paused before the body of Cho Mei. His ribs had been forced out of his back like disfigured, useless wings. Blood pooled around the corpse. Sho watched as Rin bent to stare unflinchingly into the dead man’s empty eyes. He straightened and then drew the simple sword Tan Hi had supplied him with.

”Hey,” Sho frowned. “Do you even know how to use that? What are you doing?”

”You don’t think it suits me?” Rin asked.

”Not at all. You haven’t lifted a finger this entire trip.”

Without bothering to respond, Rin swung once. It was a clean blow that severed Cho Mei’s head neatly from the shoulders. Rin doubled over and held his side.

”What the hell?” Sho demanded.

Rin took a few breaths and then wiped his blade clean on Cho Mei’s robe before sheathing it. The severed head, he picked up by the hair and considered. Before Sho had quite wrapped his mind around the bizarre scene, Rin had thrown one of the wind whistles and sent it screeching through the air. A moment later, the head followed it.

”Hey, hey, hey!” The ground was sodden with old blood, and Sho accidentally stepped on a lifeless hand as he crossed the distance to Rin. He grabbed the other man by the shoulder and spun him around. Above them, the head was snatched out of the air by a demon bird and born away.

Rin grimaced, then rearranged his face into a smile. “Do you have a problem, Sir Sho?”

”Damn right I have a problem. What the hell was that?”

”An invitation to play,” Rin answered. 

”Hohoho!” A high pitched, self-satisfied laugh came from the trees. Sho spun around, releasing Rin. “What have we here? The thief and his fool. How arrogant to still be causing trouble when you would be wiser to run. Not that it would save you in the end, pathetic mortals.”

”Kei Gai,” Rin greeted, cheerfully. “Long time no see.”

”Hm.” Kei Gai smirked. “You won’t be smiling for long. Soon the world these pitiful humans inhabit will descend into chaos and ruin, and demons will take control of this land. I win this time, Enigmatic Gale!” 

Kei Gai laughed her pleasure and flourished her whip. Behind her, three more demons emerged. They were lesser creatures: a large snake with a woman’s torso, four-legged goblin with a beak like a bird’s, and a tall, red ogre brandishing a mace and a net in two of its four hands.

”Ah, Sir Sho. You wouldn’t mind if I stayed back here, would you?”

Like he had a choice. Damn it. The whistle must have drawn Kei Gai’s attention. Better face them now than have them reach the shrine, though. Of course Rin would be useless. Sho huffed and shoved him back out of the way before drawing his sword.

They wasted no time in attacking. No sooner had he drawn his blade, than he was forced to leap out of the way Kei Gai’s whip. The goblin was inhumanly fast, and it sprang for his face with its beak wide and gaping. Sho knocked it back with a blow that would have destroyed a human. Instead, the goblin was simply sent a few meters back. It landed on its clawed feet and sprang at him again. Meanwhile, the ogre took a swing at him. Sho crouched and spun, slashing open a hole in the ogre’s stomach. Its innards spilled forth in a hideous, bulging pile, adding their stink to the already fetid air. The goblin’s claws dug into his shoulder and he threw it off before dodging Kei Gai’s whip again. Then a warm, scaled tail wrapped around his legs and pulled. A blast of his Qi allowed Sho to break free and scramble back, panting.

Just his luck. For a fleeting moment, the thought crossed his mind that this really could have been a trap. Sho was clearly the strongest fighter of the group. Lure him off, alert the enemies, and the shrine would be vulnerable. Sho dared to glance in Rin’s direction, but the thief was nowhere to be seen. Shit.

Cursing himself and his luck, Sho hurled a wave of energy from his blade toward the goblin. It gouged the dirt and split a rock in two before it reached its target. The goblin screeched and tumbled to the dirt, black blood spraying from the wound.

The ogre was enraged, possibly dying. Even so, the ball of its mace nearly stove his head in, as the ogre swung it in a wicked arch. Sho ducked and then blocked the head of the whip with his sword before jumping back out of the reach of the snake woman’s tail. He never should have taken that umbrella.


	8. Inconvenient Actions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here you go. The other half that I hadn't finished writing last night!

It was not the worst fight he’d been in by far, but it was an inconvenient one. A damn inconvenient one. Sho cursed the cowardly, manipulative thief for dragging him into this mess.

He stood, panting. The goblin’s corpse had vanished in a vapor that was carried off by the wind. The ogre was breathing its last. The snake-woman and Kei Gai were the only demons that remained. It was when the corpses of the genkishu began to rise that he realized he’d been just a bit too optimistic. A rare occurrence.

Rin had fallen back into the cover of the forest at the first opportunity. Out of sight of Sho Fu Kan, he leaped with ease into a tree. The limp had been very inconvenient. Moving from treetop to treetop, he circled around the site of the conflict. Sho would no doubt be able to handle a few lesser demons on his own.

The sword at his hip was an unfamiliar weight. How many years had it been since he’d last felt the need to wear a sword? He thought back to the carnage he’d wrought. The bodies that had lain on the floor, bleeding out in the back room of a dirty tavern. It hadn’t been hard to kill the rest. It had been woefully unsatisfying in the end, though.

Rin hopped down, landing lightly on his feet when he came to the clearing where Betsu Ten Gai had agreed to make payment for the tengyoken’s guard. The gold had been retrieved, alas, but the wagon and the remains of several genkishu remained. 

My, my. Betsu Ten Gai’s minions were becoming sloppy.

”Now… Where is it?” Rin thought aloud, picking his way nimbly past the pieces of one of Sho Fu Kan’s victims and over the fallen body of another. He shook his head. So much trouble could have been avoided if Sho hadn’t run, and had slain Betsu Ten Gai instead. Well, where would the fun have been in that?

”Ah, here you are.” Rin knelt, picked up the cloth sac he’d given to Sho, and brushed the dust off. It had been lying next to a stray piece of a hand, but it was happily no worse for wear. Bloodstains were so troublesome. Rin tucked it away, and then took out his pipe. A small bit of magic lit the bowl and he took a deep breath of smoke. How long until the fighting would be done, he wondered. Turning, he started to walk back through the trees. Then he paused and turned back. 

One of the genkishu’d died a less bloody death than his comrades. His skull had been crushed, and his neck broken, but the body was relatively intact. Some mess was unavoidable in death, but the outer robes were clean enough. Lamenting that there was no one to convince to do it for him, Rin sighed and stripped the body.

Carrying his small bundle and feeling a bit satisfied, Rin hummed a little song while he walked. There had been setbacks, certainly, but the game wasn’t done yet. He thought again of his sword. It felt a bit like cheating, when he’d wanted so badly to accomplish his task through manipulation alone. He chuckled under his breath. Surely the noble and honourable Sir Sho would disagree with that sentiment. He was an intriguing man. The mysterious visitor from Xi You with a wooden sword and a rough demeanor. What was he doing in Dong Li, and why did he hide his identity? Rin enjoyed nothing more than an intellectual challenge. As expected, his small act had won him a bit of grudging sympathy. The dissemblance had not been difficult, and it had provided at least a little bit of insight into the character of Sho Fu Kan. 

Rin halted and melted back into the shadows of a wide tree trunk, narrowing his eyes. So. The three he’d seen had not been the only demons to accompany Kei Gai. He decided to leave them be. They were nothing to him, and hardly annoyances in the grand scheme of things. In the interest of avoiding the small crowd, Rin took to the trees once more and circled back to see if Sho Fu Kan were done yet.

Sho sliced one of the dead minions in two with a wide sweep of his blade. He then jumped out of the way of a taunting flick of Kei Gai’s whip. His eyes widened when he saw the corpse of Cho Mei shambling toward him, headless and unsteady, with its arms outstretched. He took a step back, and then was pulled off his feet by the snake-woman’s tail. Kei Gai laughed.

”Bumbling fool! How does it feel knowing that your pathetic life has reached its end? You can embrace your death knowing that you’ll be more useful in this world as a corpse. I should raise you and add you to my army of undead!”

Sho growled. The snake-woman hissed and her jaw opened impossibly wide, revealing long, dripping fangs. Her tail constricted around him and Sho kicked his feet, struggling to free his arms. He was damn tired, but his sense of self-preservation and impending death gave him the energy to try to win at least two more seconds to gather enough Qi to break free. Cho Mei’s corpse was still heading for him too, the broken chest cavity gaping and oozing.

And then the snake-woman screeched and the point of a blade emerged between her breasts. Her hands clawed the air wildly before she was sliced in two, the halves of her torso falling apart. Sho pulled himself from the twitching tail in time to avoid Cho Mei’s grasping hands and grabbed his sword. The torso of the minion he’d taken down earlier was still crawling toward him and he sliced its arms off before crushing its skull.

Sho spun to dispatch Cho Mei for the second time, but Cho Mei was already in pieces on the ground.

”Good grief,” Rin said. “Kei Gai, do you never tire of the same old tricks? You’ve been living in your forest for too long.” 

Kei Gai narrowed her eyes at the blade in Rin’s hand. “You’ll never win this round, Enigmatic Gale. Your precious human world is doomed.”

”I had so missed your confidence.” Rin flicked his wrist and another corpse collapsed in pieces. “If you’d still been broken and hopeless, defeating you would have been no fun at all.”

Kei Gai scoffed, “Do you think that you could possibly kill me?”

”Of course not,” Rin said. He sheathed his blade. “It’ll be much more satisfying to see you fail. Sho Fu Kan.”

Sho looked up and caught the wind whistle that was tossed to him.

”There’s a small army of demons following after her. It would be prudent to make our exit, wouldn’t you agree?” Rin picked up the small bundle he’d dropped and threw his own whistle.

Sho hesitated. Rin was standing tall, his expression inscrutable. Through this entire journey he’d been led by the nose from shitty situation to shitty situation. He had a feeling that this next leap wouldn’t lead him anywhere good. 

Shutting his eyes and sighing, Sho threw the whistle.


	9. Answers

They landed in the shadow of the demon spine mountains. Rin used the brief journey to calm himself. The mental focus required to control the birds was meditative, and Rin considered himself to be very good at pushing aside the more negative of the emotions. His companion did not seem to share his skill, however. No sooner did Rin’s feet touch the dry, rocky earth than he was knocked off balance and shoved against the side of the mountain. He dropped the bundle of robes. A jagged rock dug into his back. He smiled.

”Oh, kind and chivalrous Sho Fu Kan, is that any way to thank a man who saved your life?”

Sho’s face was inches from his own, and the angle of the sun cast his face into shadow. It made his glower seem all the more impressive. One hand came up to take hold of Rin’s collar and give him a menacing shake.

Sho growled. “What the hell did you just get us into?”

Rin winced and shifted. He brought up a hand to try to create some room between Sho’s fingers and his throat. His knuckles were digging into his adam’s apple uncomfortably. Sho’s hand was warm and dry. “You’re hurting me. I’m injured, remember?”

”You were fine five minutes ago, you lying bastard. What the hell was that with the severed head, and what are we doing here? Talk.”

Oh, that was right, wasn’t it? Sho Fu Kan had been about to be killed and, like an idiot, Rin had given in to the impulse to save him, sham forgotten. How embarrassing. The alarm he’d felt had overpowered his reason and that was unacceptable. Of course the life of his pawn was worth the loss of his small ruse, but he would have much rather made that decision based on logic than panic. He had approached the scene of the fight almost leisurely, but he felt as though his blood had turned to ice when he saw Sho caught in the death grip of the snake-woman. 

Rin narrowed his eyes and gave up his passivity in favour of giving Sho a good shove backward, out of his space. He felt a small flare of satisfaction at the surprise that flickered across Sho’s face when he was forced to step back to keep his balance. “While we’re asking questions, sir Sho, may I ask what you were doing back there? I left you alone for ten minutes and I returned to find that you’d nearly gotten yourself killed. I admit, I’m disappointed in you.”

”Oh, no. You’re not changing the subject.” Sho glared and took a determined step forward. Rin held his ground, but took a deep breath. The note of anger in his own voice was… surprising. Surprising and unwelcome. Calm was so much more useful than anger.

”I was merely professing my astonishment that such a supposedly talented swordsman could have fallen victim of such crude tricks.”

Sho took another step forward, crowding Rin against the rocks again. They were close enough that the heat of their bodies warmed the air between them, and it was a sharp contrast from the cold stone behind him. “Talk,” Sho said. His voice was low and dangerous.

Rin studied the determined set to Sho’s features. His fixation on receiving an answer was at least somewhat better than storming off to handle matters on his own. Such an action would not have been uncharacteristic of the man as Rin knew him, and it would have forced Rin to go after him. He could come up with something to appease him. He wrestled his irritation back into nothingness and thought. He needed an explanation that would be enough to calm Sho into cooperating rather than cause him to storm off.

A look crossed Sho’s face. Rin’s thoughts were interrupted as he took in this new information. He had just processed the expression and labeled it tentatively as disgust when Sho pushed him back again. One hand was flat and heavy on his collar bone, and the other reached for the opening of his borrowed robe.

Sho stepped away, and the chill air of the mountains rushed between them again. Rin stared at his pipe, which was being held firmly in Sho’s right hand, just out of reach. 

Both Sho’s glare and disgust had disappeared, replaced by something more like exasperation. He sighed. “Well, the way I see it, you’re about as trustworthy as Betsu Ten Gai up there. Probably less, actually. I don’t know what you get out of keeping me in the dark all the time, but I’m getting sick and tired of it. Tell me what you’re planning, and I won’t break this in half. You should consider yourself lucky I’m not talking about your neck.”

. 

Sho watched, feeling a bit smug as Rin’s eyes followed his precious pipe. Rin’s gaze darted back to Sho’s face, and then was drawn again to the object held firmly in Sho’s hand. It had been a lucky, but educated guess that the gaudy thing would be of some value to the thief. Sho had yet to see him without it, other than immediately after his brush with death. 

”Well?” Sho prompted, fighting the urge to smirk.

The stunned look vanished, and Rin’s expression turned calculating. Sho could imagine him running scenarios through his mind, and shook his head, waving the pipe. Rin’s lips thinned as he pressed them together in a rare frown, and he held very still. At last, he took a breath and spoke. When he did, his tone was light.

”You needn’t have bothered with such crude methods, really, Sir Sho. I would have told you soon enough. The head was a message. You must remember one of Betsu Ten Gai’s lovely captains sending a similar one the day of our first acquaintance. The Bones of Creation is able to read the memories of the dead- a trick that he no doubt picked up some time after he came to inhabit this fine abode. By sending him his henchman’s head, I was inviting him to view the man’s last moments. As for why we find ourselves here, well, surely the whole point of this endeavor was the retrieve the tengyoken.”

”And you had no idea that Kei Gai and her demon buddies were nearby in the woods?”

”The thought had crossed my mind.” Rin’s eyes drifted toward his pipe again, before they were deliberately brought back to focus on Sho. “However, it was not my intention to draw them into conflict with us. I had other business there.”

”Such as?” Sho kept a wary eye on Rin, ready to dodge if Rin made a grab for the pipe.

”This,” Rin said, pulling the cloth bag from his pocket. Sho narrowed his eyes, recognizing it as the one he’d used to masquerade as Rin.

Sho shook his head. “I’m not doing that a second time. The genkishu saw through it. The only reason I got as far as I did was because Betsu Ten Gai was curious.”

”I know. Your acting is terrible,” Rin said. He seemed to relax, and Sho tightened his grip on the pipe. Rin crossed his arms and leaned back against the mountain. “When Betsu Ten Gai sees the memories from that head I sent him, who do you think he will see? Not me, certainly. You were the one to kill him… And, if your tale is true, you killed him with an old stick you found laying on the ground. Most impressive.”

”And?” Sho growled.

”And,” Rin sighed, “Betsu Ten Gai believes himself to be the greatest swordsman alive. He killed Mu Sho easily. His pride rests entirely on his skill in battle. How do you suppose he would react to seeing your technique?”

Realization descended on Sho like a cold fog. “You used me as bait. Now I’m supposed to be your, what, your attack dog?”

”I wouldn’t say that.”

Sho heaved a sigh and tossed the pipe to the ground in front of Rin. “Why doesn’t it surprise me? That’s all I’ve done this entire journey. Why do I keep getting stuck with the shitty jobs, huh?”

”There are two jobs that need to be done, actually.” Rin knelt and picked up his pipe, then dusted it off on his sleeve. He sat down, leaning back against the rocks. “Your face will allow you passage into the castle. Betsu Ten Gai will be at least a little bit curious about your skill with a sword. However, we have no way of knowing whether he will be wielding the tengyoken or hiding it away like a treasure. So, we will need one Sho Fu Kan to fight, and another to steal. I’ll be disguising myself as you, this time… Thank you, by the way. You don’t seem to have damaged it.” He did not light his pipe, but he held it between his fingers and looked at it.

”I’m still pissed at you for pretending that you were still hurt. Why the hell would you bother? Why’s that thing so important to you anyway? I probably could have threatened your life and gotten less out of you.” Sho sat down, figuring that he might as well. 

Rin gave Sho a crooked smile. “Forgive me for that small deception. Miss Tan Hi is a skilled healer. My wounds still pain me, but not nearly so badly as I let on. You three are the heroes, after all, and wisely, none of you would trust a villain such as me. You would tolerate my presence, though, if I seemed pathetic enough.”

Sho snorted. It certainly sounded conniving enough to be true. Deciding to take advantage of Rin’s apparent forthrightness, he ventured another question. “And the pipe?”

Rin looked down at the pipe and turned it over in his hands. “My master gave it to me,” he said. And then Rin gathered his bundle, and pushed himself to his feet, his expression shuttered. He gave Sho his usual calm smile. “I believe we have an appointment to keep. Shall we?”


	10. Invasion

The area surrounding Seven Sins Tower was eerie and the sounds of the demon birds echoed hauntingly. Sho Fu Kan thought that the sorcerer who’d once made his castle in the Demon Spine Mountains must have been driven mad by the atmosphere alone. Then again, anyone who felt the need to have three challenges before anyone could make it to the front door must have been crazy from the beginning. Following after Rin, Sho was beginning to have doubts about his own sanity.

He could march into the tower, attempt to make his peace with the Bones of Creation, and then leave. Let them figure out what to do about Yo Jya Rei. It was tempting.

Instead he was following after a madman.

Rin was walking a pace ahead, leading him who knew where. To an entrance to the tower, Sho supposed. He wouldn’t have been surprised if he were wrong. It was impossible to predict what Rin would do. Sho thought he might have seen a few moments of genuine behavior: Rin’s fear upon waking, amusement (usually at Sho’s expense), and his anger moments before. They’d disappeared quickly, though. There was no way to tell if they were truly genuine either. Rin had certainly fooled him with his injured act, Sho thought with irritation. At least Rin hadn’t sat back and watched while he was eaten by that snake demon. Then again, Rin hadn’t had any qualms about having him locked in a dungeon when it suited his purposes.

”Uh, I suppose I should have thanked you, I guess, for helping me out back there,“ Sho said, scratching his nose. “Though, it was your fault I got involved in this mess in the first place.”

Rin glanced back at Sho and smirked. “Is that your attempt at a thank-you, Sir Sho?”

”Nope. You’re a menace. I don’t even know what I’m doing here with the likes of you.” Sho glared.

Rin chuckled and they came to a stop. Sho looked around. They were lucky to have found a secluded spot, and he was surprised that they hadn’t come across any of the genkishu. Of course, given recent events, perhaps Betsu Ten Gai was experiencing a shortage of henchmen.

Rin held out the bundle he was carrying, and Sho looked at it warily. Rin raised an eyebrow at him. “Change into these. While we’re relying on your appearance to win an audience with the Bones of Creation, your clothes are too distinctive if we’re going to be searching first.”

”You’re one to talk,” Sho grumbled. Truthfully, Rin appeared much less ostentatious in his modest, borrowed robes. The headpiece was gone as well, leaving Rin’s hair loose and unadorned. He hadn’t realized how much of Rin’s appearance was made up by his garments before. If he’d passed him on the road somewhere, he might not have recognized him. A smile was spreading across Rin’s face, and Sho huffed and looked away, snatching the bundle. “Are you sure about this? “

”Would I have begun this plan if I weren’t?”

Sho sighed. He was already there, like it or not. He might as well see things through. Well, he had to clear things up with Betsu Ten Gai anyway, if he ever wanted to show is face in another town. “Whatever. If this fails, you’re on your own.” 

”Yes, yes,” Rin smiled.

. 

Ken sat looking down into the gaping pit where Yo Jya Rei rested. The whole place stank of snake and decay. He didn’t want to think about his brother decomposing. It wasn’t a fitting funeral for a hero, no matter how corrupt he’d been. The demon’s spell-wrought slumber did not seem to be in danger of being broken, and Ken wondered for the thousandth time whether he should drive his spear through the thing’s skull. It seemed unfathomable that a creature could be immortal. Surely there must be a way to kill him. If he could manage it, he’d be famous. Ken laughed bitterly.

He looked up when Tan Hi entered. The eerie green light from the pit didn’t make her seem any less beautiful. It shined off of her wide, dark eyes and made them seem otherworldly. Ken clenched his hand into a fist. The whole world was falling apart. 

”The wards are still holding strong,” Tan Hi reported. She brought her hands together and looked back toward the door. “The others have been gone for a long time. You don’t suppose…?” She trailed off.

”What does it matter?” Ken asked, glaring down at the sleeping demon.

Tan Hi frowned and took a few steps nearer. “Ken-sama?”

”What does it matter?” Ken repeated, more loudly. “Even if they’re dead, soon an army of demons will be here to wake Yo Jya Rei. I can’t even fight with this eye, the tengyoken is lost, and you… Well, you’re amazing, but you’re just one person. We’re probably both going to die here.”

Ken heard Tan Hi’s footsteps as she drew nearer and he looked up at her. She was frowning. “Ken-sama, such words are unlike you. I’m confident that the others have a plan to retrieve the tengyoken, and my wards will hold Kei Gai off for a time. Perhaps the other goinshi will realize our peril and come to our aid after all. You mustn’t despair.”

Ken turned away from her gentle tone and stood. “Don’t you get it, Tan Hi? I know you want to believe in them, but Rin Setsu A is a traitor and a thief. He could have murdered Sho Fu Kan and started running by now. Not even the Screaming Phoenix Killer could stop Betsu Ten Gai. This demon can’t even be killed. I can’t fight, and you’re only one person. This is as hopeless as it gets! We might as well let them wake Yo Jya Rei and get it over with already!” He stooped and picked up a piece of debris, then threw it down at Yo Jya Rei with all his might, ignoring Tan Hi’s gasp behind him. The demon didn’t stir, and the bit of wood fell ineffectually to land among the rocks.

”I know it sounds stupid,” Ken continued, watching the demon. “But, my brother… Not Shu Un Sho; my real one. He was amazing. He was the best, seriously. I used to think that he could do anything. Then one day he got killed, and now no one even remembers his name. It isn’t fair. I couldn’t help but think that I don’t want to die like that. Now that I’m like this, how am I supposed to be a hero?”

He heard a metallic click and turned to see Tan Hi unsheath her blade. Ken’s eye widened in alarm, and he glanced toward the door, one hand on his spear. There was nothing there. He looked back at Tan Hi just in time to stumble back out of the way of a powerful downward strike.

”Gah! Tan Hi! What gives?”

Tan Hi didn’t answer with words, she simply pressed forward with another attack, taking a step forward to bring him into range and then stabbing. Ken stepped back again, and then ducked another blow. Two more, and he was forced to pull free his spear to block.

Her attacks came faster then, more rapidly and with more force than they had during their earlier training. Ken kept on the defensive, and he found himself struggling to keep up. Her sword was flashing, reflecting the glow of Yo Jya Rei’s prison, and as he blocked, Ken saw that she struck with the edge of her blade, rather than the flat. She struck again. He couldn’t see precisely where she aimed, but the set of her shoulders told him enough, and Ken hastily brought his spear up to deflect the blow. What the hell? 

”Seriously! Tan Hi, stop it! What are you doing?” 

. 

A final attack rang against the shaft of Ken’s spear, and Tan Hi panted, lowering her weapon. Her heart was racing. Ken was looking at her with such confusion and worry that it made her nearly regret her actions. She stepped back and bowed her head.

”Forgive me for frightening you, Ken-sama. However, it was your words many days ago that inspired me to continue fighting when all hope seemed lost. My family’s blade technique…” She looked down at her sword. “I was unable to wield it properly because of my body. Everything I’d learned was useless, moreover, I had failed at my duty as a goinshi. I did not want to go against centuries of tradition to modify the style, but you taught me that I must adapt in order to survive, even if I believed that the only purpose of my survival was vengeance. Now you see that I’ve taken your advice. You can fight, Ken-sama. I attacked you earnestly, and your body knew how to protect you. You will learn to adapt.”

Ken stared at her mutely, and Tan Hi looked away, embarrassed. Perhaps she’d been too outspoken. What had she been thinking to attack her friend and guest? Heat rose to her cheeks, and she sheathed her sword. Ken had been troubled, and she’d turned her blade on him. She thought she’d given up her concerns over her femininity, but she could not help the creeping shame that began to spread.

She was startled out of her thoughts when Ken cast his spear aside and pulled her into his arms.

”I’m sorry, Tan Hi,” Ken said, holding her tightly. He smelled of incense, sweat, and his own unique scent. His body was warm. Tan Hi felt her face go red and her eyes widen. She froze, holding perfectly still. When Ken continued speaking, she could feel his voice rumbling through his chest. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I’ll try my hardest to be a hero. Not for me, or my brother. I want to be someone you’d be proud of.”

And then Ken was letting go. She thought that he might pull away and release her, but then he was bending down and she stared with wide eyes as his face came nearer.

”Don’t!” She gasped, pushing him away and stepping back. She thought she might faint. She covered her mouth with both hands, and then turned and fled.

”Tan Hi! Wait!” Ken called after her. She didn’t slow down.

. 

Sho stared. While he’d changed, Rin had also donned a set of stolen robes and had transformed himself into Sho. The result was vaguely horrifying. Rin was lounging against the rocks, watching the tendrils of smoke curl upward from his pipe. He glanced up when Sho approached and his smile looked out of place on Sho’s features.

”Good, you’re ready. With luck, this attempt will go better than the last.”

Rin put out his pipe, stood, and then adjusted his posture. All remnants of Rin’s usual self – the set of his shoulders, the elegance of his movements, the way he held his weight – disappeared. His calm smile was replaced by a look of resigned exasperation. He sighed. “Well? Let’s get this over with,” Rin said, mimicking the cadence of Sho’s speech. He had one hand hovering hear his sword hilt, ready to unsheathe it, and his posture was confident but subtly guarded. 

Sho drew back, surprised. “What the hell?”

“We should probably sneak in through the servant’s entrance,” Rin said, scratching the side of his nose. “I doubt he’d just leave the tengyoken laying around, but it’s not like it could hurt. Well, Betsu Ten Gai doesn’t strike me as the most reasonable guy, so at least we’ll have the element of surprise. Man, what a pain in the ass.”

”Hey,” Sho frowned, preparing to retort, and then sighed. “Whatever.” He stalked past Rin, shoving him aside. “Man, you’re annoying.”

Rin scowled, “Hey! “ He shook his head and followed. After a pause, he asked in his own tone, amusement at the edge of every word: “Oh, Sho Fu Kan, do you know which way we’re going?”

”Just shut the hell up,” Sho growled.

Rin chuckled.

. 

Tan Hi ran. She heard Ken call out behind her, but she couldn’t bear the idea of stopping until she’d reached the edge of the wards and the gate to the shrine. There, she fell to her knees, panting. She pressed a hand to her racing heart.

No, surely he couldn’t have been…

But hadn’t he? Could Ken San Un have been about to kiss her?

Tan Hi shook her head and covered her face with her hands. Her thoughts were in turmoil. Had she not been agonizing over her identity as a woman? She’d mourned that softness in her that had been cast aside in favour of swordplay and revenge, but had given up that part of herself nonetheless. Her duty as goinshi was foremost, even if that meant sacrificing her hopes.

Could she deny them now?

. 

Ken approached cautiously. The shame he’d felt as she ran from him had held him in place long enough for the self-recrimination to begin. He’d been such an idiot. He could never seem to do anything right when it came to girls. He hated the thought that Tan Hi would hate him for what he’d done. When he saw her sitting by the gate, his heart sank. She rose and turned to face him when she noticed his approach.

”Tan Hi?” He asked, taking a few steps closer. He bowed low. “I’m really sorry! It’s just that I really like you and I got carried away. You’re just so beautiful and amazing, and I wanted…” He swallowed. “Ah…” He shook his head and looked up. Tan Hi was looking at him with her wide, pretty eyes. He could feel his face heating. Oh, crap. He’d meant to apologize and he’d just made things a hundred times worse.

”I’m really sorry!” He tried again. “Just, ah… No, I’m sorry. Please forgive me.” He shut his mouth before any more damning words could escape. Words like love or forever.

No, he wasn’t going to give up. That wasn’t what Ken San Un, The Frozen Wonder did. If he didn’t say anything now, he might never get another chance. He stood up straight, steeling his resolve. “Tan Hi, will you marry me?!”

Ken winced and shut his eye, then chanced a look at her. Tan Hi was staring at him. He looked back, with no more words to say.

”Ken-sama,” Tan Hi started, slowly. She had tears in her eyes. That wasn’t good, was it? “I… I’m truly touched to receive your feelings.”

”You are?” Ken’s eye widened.

”But,” Tan Hi continued, “I cannot accept them. Forgive me, Ken-sama. I’m truly very sorry, but…” She turned away and seemed to fold in on herself, tucking her arms close to her body and ducking her chin. “I can’t.”

Ken stared for a moment longer, feeling his hope and tension fade. “Oh,” he said. The embarrassment came back, and loss with it. It was painful. He forced a sheepish smile. “Hah… Right. Of course you can’t. My bad…”

And then the earth shook. Ken and Tan Hi gasped as the ground rolled beneath their feet. Birds took to the sky in flocks, startled from their perches. Tan Hi looked around in alarm.

”The wards!” She realized. “Something’s wrong.”

Ken shook aside his feelings for the moment, and moved closer. “Come on! We’ve got to find out what happened.”

”Right!” Tan Hi agreed, hand on the hilt of her sword.

The two ran back up toward the main shrine, and Ken clenched his fists in determination. It didn’t matter what happened. He was going to do his best and fight to protect the world and Tan Hi. He would live like the hero he wanted to be, so that even if he died, he would die without regrets.


	11. Duplicity

The audience hall of Seven Sins Tower was a grim place. It might have been grand once, with its high ceiling, plentiful windows, and majestic columns. The throne- for a throne it must have been, though no king had ever lived in those halls- sat upon a dais at least a dozen stairs high. Any elegance or grandeur was ruined, though. The perpetual twilight of the Demon Spine Mountains lent a dismal atmosphere to the chamber, and the numerous candles did little to penetrate the gloom. Outside of the small pockets of light, shadows loomed and cast the outermost corners and the distant ceiling into inky darkness. The candles rested upon mounds of skulls piled high around the dais. Sho Fu Kan snorted, unimpressed. Two masked genkishu gripped his upper arms tightly. More lurked in the shadows as a silent audience.

Upon the throne, Betsu Ten Gai sat, surrounded by the staring skulls. He didn’t seem bothered by their presence. His lavish robes were spread around him and his posture was open and confident. He held the tengyoken across his lap, one hand on its hilt with a grip like that of a possessive lover. Sho’s eyes drifted down to the sword and then back up to look into Betsu Ten Gai’s smiling face.

”A proper meeting at last, Sho Fu Kan… I have to say, you’ve made quite a nuisance of yourself of late. How very ill advised.” Betsu Ten Gai’s voice was soft, but it was deep and carried well. With one hand, he reached down into the pile of skulls and plucked up one of its members. The rotting face of Zan Kyo swung around, dangling by a thick clump of hair. The flesh was beginning to blacken and rot. The eyes were already gone, and the sockets gaped grotesquely. The skin had begun to pull away. Betsu Ten Gai tossed the head down the steps, and it rolled to a rest at Sho Fu Kan’s feet.

”Do you remember the day you killed him? The fool deserved it. Still, he was thoughtful enough to kill himself and send back this message to me, so he earned himself a place by my side. His memories gave me your name and the face of your companion, The Enigmatic Gale. You then eluded my captains, thwarted my armies, and engaged in a pitiful attempt to deceive me… I could have accepted if it had been done at the behest of that cowardly thief.” Betsu Ten Gai stood and tossed another head down the steps. Sho Fu Kan narrowed his eyes, but didn’t flinch. It was Cho Mei’s head this time. Betsu Ten Gai began a leisurely descent of the steps and continued:

”But here I find another message and a swordsman at my doorstep. The Enigmatic Gale is dead, and the tengyoken is mine. Soon the world will descend into chaos and the War of Fading Dusk will begin again! The demon armies will bring the human world to its knees, and only the strong will survive. Tell me, Sho Fu Kan, why do you choose to stand against me, when I will be the savior of mankind?”

”Hmph. Saviour my ass,” Sho growled. “Look, I don’t give a shit about the genkishu… I couldn’t care less about your weird obsession with swords, or what Rin Setsu A wanted when he decided to get involved with all of this. I didn’t want to get involved in any of this in the first place. Frankly, it’s been a pain in my ass. That whole mess with that guy there was a misunderstanding because that fox bastard cast an illusion on him. All I wanted was to clear that up and stop your guys from causing me any problems…” Sho watched while Betsu Ten Gai regarded him with a predator’s gaze. He wrinkled his nose in disgust.

”But you see, I’m kind of a busy guy. That whole chaos and destruction thing would really get in the way of my plans, so, I’m going to have to get that sword back.”

Betsu Ten Gai laughed. “And you think that you can take it so easily?” He waved a hand and his minions released Sho’s arms. “Draw your weapon. I would look on the sword that dares to challenge the tengyoken.”

”Happy to oblige,” Sho quipped, drawing his blade and taking his stance.

Betsu Ten Gai’s laughter grew more uproarious. “So it’s true! The Edgeless Blade, indeed. You would come here with a scrap of wood and have the gall to challenge me? I am undefeated! In my hand, I hold the sword that ended the War of Fading Dusk! What insolence is this, or could it be pure lunacy?”

Sho narrowed his eyes and said nothing, holding his stance. Betsu Ten Gai quieted and then smirked.

”Very well, then. I accept your challenge.”

.

In the display room, the other Sho Fu Kan walked quietly between the rows of swords. The room was eerily quiet, and it was lit only by the glow of a few oil lamps in their sconces. He lifted a cautious hand and touched one of the swords, feeling the malevolent aura that clung to it. The steel was unnaturally cold. There were swords that must have been hundreds of years old, and swords more recently done. Some of the swords hummed with magic, and others were simple steel. They ranged from elaborately decorative to plain tools for killing. Betsu Ten Gai was quite the collector, and no matter the outward appearance, all of the swords there were deserving of their place in his castle. The bone-safe was unlocked and empty. There was no sign of the tengyoken.

”Figures,” Sho mumbled under his breath. Betsu Ten Gai probably had it with him. They wouldn’t be leaving without a confrontation. There was a flicker of movement at the doorway, and Sho Fu Kan melted into the shadows, one hand on the hilt of his sword. A small group of genkishu passed, and he waited several long moments before moving again.

They weren’t the tengyoken, but it seemed like a waste to leave them there. Betsu Ten Gai wouldn’t need them anyway.

. 

The clash of their weapons was not the ring of steel against steel, but rather the thunderous clap of their battle qi. It crackled and stirred the air around them into a fierce wind as their weapons met with explosive force again and again. The air itself seemed to hum. Sho Fu Kan skillfully turned aside a downward slash and then pushed back with a blast of energy. Betsu Ten Gai disappeared in a dark cloud, and then came back into existence behind his opponent. Sho caught his opponent’s blade with his own as he turned to block the strike. Going on the offensive, he pressed forward with a slash and a thrust. Betsu Ten Gai snarled as a gash appeared on his right arm, but vanished himself before the thrust could reach him.

When he reappeared, Sho met him with a wicked slash aimed at his neck. Betsu Ten Gai dodged it and then stabbed forward. His attack was turned aside and countered. Another gash appeared on his opposite arm.

”How dare you? A nameless wandering swordsman with only a stick for his weapon… Let’s see how you fare against the full strength of my sword!” Betsu Ten Gai snarled and channeled more energy. It was visible as shimmering circles that filled the air around him. He shot forward and struck. Their weapons clashed with a power that shook the ground beneath their feet.

”Swords, swords, swords,” Sho scoffed. “In the end, they’re just tools.” He deflected a lightning-fast strike, and dodged another.

”You could waste your whole life pursuing perfection, but there’s always someone stronger out there.” Sho stepped forward and delivered a powerful blow with the flat of his blade to Betsu Ten Gai’s arm.

”There’s never an end to it. Only an idiot thinks he’s mastered everything.” He knocked aside another furious slash from Betsu Ten Gai, and then struck again with the flat of his blade to Betsu Ten Gai’s leg, forcing him to drop to one knee.

”You’re pathetic.” He struck Betsu Ten Gai’s swordarm next, and the tengyoken clattered to the ground. Sho kicked it out of reach and then stooped to pick it up.

At his feet, Betsu Ten Gai trembled with impotent rage. As the feeling began to return to his limbs, his hands formed clumsy fists. His head was bowed and his breath was audible in the silent chamber. Sho kept a portion of his awareness focused on the genkishu at the periphery of the room as he hefted the tengyoken and balanced it on one shoulder.

”Why didn’t you kill me?” Betsu Ten Gai demanded, the words forced out in a growl between clenched teeth.

Sho sighed, but there was a small smile beginning to play at the corners of his lips. “I prefer to avoid killing. Maybe you can learn a lesson from this and find a new purpose in life.”

”So you would have me endure this humiliation instead… Hah. You’re a crueler man than I’d anticipated… Sho Fu Kan.” Bizarrely, a grin began to spread across Betsu Ten Gai’s face. It turned to laughter that echoed off of the walls and vaulted ceiling of the hall. The laughter grew louder, and Betsu Ten Gai staggered to his feet. He pressed a hand over his face as though to contain himself, but it was ineffectual. At last, he spread his arms and a burst of energy sprang from him, humming through the air and forming whirling disks and wheels.

”You will regret this day,” Betsu Ten Gai promised. “You will know no peace. The genkishu will hunt you day and night. There will be no escape! Not for you or anyone who dares to aid you. And when we’ve found you, you will suffer.” The swirling qi grew brighter and coalesced into a crackling pillar, which then collapsed upon itself into a single point that was achingly, piercingly bright. Sho took a step backward, narrowing his eyes. Betsu Ten Gai hurled the concentrated energy up into the dome of the ceiling and it crackled along the pillars and archways. For a moment, the room was lit in full, and the genkishu were visible at the edges of the room, either drawing their blades or looking about in alarm.

”Now run. Run for your pitiful life or die!” Betsu Ten Gai cackled. The skulls began to rattle in their piles, and some began to roll across the floor as it shook. An ominous rumble filled the air. “Soldiers, capture him!”

Sho glared and his lip curled up in a sneer. His hand clenched around the hilt of his sword. The nerve of him! Betsu Ten Gai could swear vengeance all he liked, but he should have been a broken mess. He should have been weeping and crushed. What was this? How infuriating. The room rocked violently and some of the more ambitious genkishu began to close in.

Then the blade of a sword appeared from the middle of Betsu Ten Gai’s chest, choking off his laughter. A blast of energy broke his torso, and the pieces of him collapsed to the ground with wet, messy thuds. The other Sho Fu Kan was revealed behind him, looking exasperated. “What the hell did you do?” He shot a concerned glance up at the ceiling, which had begun to crack and crumble alarmingly. “Answer that later. Let’s go.”

The two began to run, and Sho cut down the genkishu in their path. Rin pulled the sac off of his face and tucked it away, all the while keeping a tight grip on the tengyoken. Sho took the lead, alert for threats. A group of genkishu appeared from a corridor in front of them, but they were forced to scatter by a falling pillar. The ceiling above would probably be next. Sho cursed and pulled Rin into a narrow servant’s staircase.

”We should go back the way we came,” Rin advised, looking shaken. “The sorcerer who owned this place was fond of traps, and he would have prepared for the case of an invading army or enemy. Betsu Ten Gai must have activated the castle’s defense mechanisms.”

”It looks more like he tried to bring the place down on our heads.” Sho grumbled as they descended. They emerged into a wider corridor lined with armour. “When we get out of here, you’re explaining yourself. What the hell, man? You just had to provoke him. If you could have beaten him so easily, why did you let him think he’d killed you? Why not kill him and take the sword then and there?”

”Don’t think so simplistically,” Rin scolded, following. “You know that I always work several steps ahead.”

”What was that?” Sho whirled and held out his blade. Rin stood back and narrowed his eyes.

At either end of the corridor, the shadows seemed to spring to life, taking the forms of hideous beasts. Sho was reminded of the valley of the dead. The creatures moved with unnatural swiftness and hundreds of glowing eyes peered out from grotesquely twisted faces. A spider-like creature as big as a water barrel led the charge at them from one side, and each of its eight legs seemed to be razor sharp. It had the head of a man, and its mouth was opened impossibly wide to bare dripping teeth.

”An illusion,” Rin said. With a flick of his wrist and a small bit of magic, his replica of Sho’s sword was revealed to have been his pipe. Another bit of magic lit it. “I may be able to break the spell.”

”They seem pretty damn real to me!” Sho protested. He gasped as the spider-like thing leapt at him, and he struck out at it with an unnecessarily powerful blow that split it in two. The bits fell to the ground and shuddered, the ends already reaching for each other with tendrils of shadow so that the thing could be reformed.

”Keep holding them off, Sir Sho. I need to observe them if I’m to deduce the proper counter spell.”

”Fuck that,” Sho growled. He grabbed hold of Rin’s arm, sword held in front of him with his other hand, and ran. A slash of his sword sent an arch of qi rippling through the air. It cut through the beasts in their path. Eyes and mouths gaped at them as they ran past, the inhuman wails and screams following after.

The ground lurched beneath them and there was a crash as the armour lining the corridor toppled to the ground, adding to the cacophony. Then they were stumbling and sliding, and a yawning chasm in the floor swallowed them up.

They fell for a time that felt infinitely long.

. 

Sho coughed and then groaned. The impact had knocked the breath from him, and he sat up, wheezing. The ground was hard and stony beneath him. Cautiously testing the movement of his arms and legs, he decided that nothing seemed broken. “Damn it,” he cursed. The room they’d fallen into was pitch black and the sickly sweet stench of decay was thick enough in the air to make his stomach lurch. Pressing his sleeve over his nose, he groped for his sword with his other hand. The feel of the wood beneath his fingers was welcome, and he exhaled in relief.

He wouldn’t have been surprised if it had broken. It seemed like it was one disaster after another on this quest, and he would be glad when it was done. This whole ordeal was starting to become a major pain in the ass.

There was a scuffling sound and a faint jingling to his left, and then a light appeared. Sho squinted in the sudden brightness. Rin held his pipe aloft, and the glow that it emitted was enough to envelop them in a small bubble of light.

”Where are we?” Sho asked.

Rin pushed himself to his feet with a small hiss of pain and held his pipe higher. He moved it in a slow circle around himself. “I confess, Sir Sho, that I know a good many things. Unfortunately, your estimation of my knowledge is a bit high in this case. I’m flattered, of course, since you seem to think me possessed of some oracular ability.”

”Yeah, yeah… You could have just said that you don’t know, smartass. This is your fault, you know. You just had to provoke him. You did it while pretending to be me, too. What the hell? If you could have beaten Betsu Ten Gai, why didn’t you do it the first time instead of letting him think he’d killed you? You could have stopped this whole problem from happening!” The more he thought about it, the more incensed he became. If he traced back each of the problems they’d encountered, he was sure that they would lead back to Rin and his machinations.

”Don’t be simplistic, Sir Sho,” Rin scolded, mildly. “You know that I always plan several steps ahead. Did you really have to kill him? I wasn't finished.”

”Oh, I should have let the insane warlord with the massive army chase me to the ends of the earth?” Sho shook his head. “You could thank me for saving your miserable ass. You would have kept provoking him and ended up getting yourself killed.”

Rin hummed noncommittally and started walking in a direction chosen seemingly at random. “It was very kind of you to rush to my aid, Sir Sho, but perhaps we could focus on more immediate concerns. We have the tengyoken. Now we only need to find a way out.”

Sho followed after Rin. The light from Rin’s pipe didn’t reach far, and it flickered like a candle. Sho felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up as he considered the threats that could be lurking in the shadows.

”Can’t you make that any brighter?”

Rin was quiet for a moment before replying. He answered slowly, the words heavy with reluctance. “I’m tired. I could do it, but I'd be more comfortable leaving it like this."

Sho grumbled under his breath, but didn't press the issue. He came to a sudden stop when Rin halted, just barely managing not to bump into him. Rin lifted his pipe higher and its glow illuminated a grim sight. There were bodies of men and women dressed in genkishu robes piled carelessly atop one another. A sticky pool of blood and waste dirtied the floor beneath them and Sho took a small step back. A flicker of red caught his eye and drew his gaze to the lifeless corpse of Setsu Mu Sho. Its eyes were filmy and sightless, and a fly was crawling on his cheek. Sho snuck a glance at Rin, but Rin's expression was inscrutable.

"Disgusting," Sho said, wrinkling his nose beneath his sleeve. He hated to admit it, but the sight jarred him more than the shadow creatures had.

"Practical," Rin corrected, dispassionately. "They must keep the bodies of their dead to feed the birds when they run out of prisoners... Mu Sho did provide them with plenty of dead."

"It's still sick," argued Sho.

"The good news is that there must be a way out from here," Rin said. "I'd thought for a moment that we'd fallen into some trap, but it looks like it was an honest collapse. If these bodies are food, then there will be a gate or door to the outside where the birds feed... Let's continue, shall we?"

Sho frowned. "We get out, but then what? For all we know, the place will be swarming with guards or the castle will fall on top of us."

"The wind whistles, of course. I still have mine, if you lost yours. We'll need to share, but I'm sure that the bird will manage. Hold this, will you?" Rin held out his pipe to Sho, and Sho was privately rather surprised to be trusted with the thing after having taken it hostage earlier. He held onto it carefully while Rin pulled the whistle from the folds of his robe, and then exchanged the pipe for it.

"You're sure it didn't break when we fell? You said earlier that a broken whistle would anger the bird."

"I'm sure. Are you questioning my eye for detail, Sir Sho?"

"You're insane. I think I have a right to question anything about you at this point."

An ominous rumble from above made both men freeze. There was a pattering of rocks as they fell, loosened from the ceiling above.

"You might want to save those questions for later," Rin advised. "Betsu Ten Gai's little outburst seems to have left us with a problem." He led the way at a brisk pace, holding his pipe before them. Apparently deciding that it was worth the effort, he brightened the spell and the flickering subsided. Sho followed, hoping like hell that they weren't about to get buried alive.

. 

He found the exit mostly by relying on his sense of smell; the stench of decay grew weaker the closer they got to the open air. Rin's hand was trembling minutely by the time they found the gate, and he hated it. His frustration at having failed to crush Betsu Ten Gai had been pushed aside in the wake of Sho's appearance and their subsequent dash for escape. Now it came surging up again, and he fought to wrestle it back. Damn Sho for interfering. Yes, Betsu Ten Gai was dead, but he had deserved so much more than simple death. He had deserved to suffer. That chance was lost. Rin tightened his grip on the tengyoken. Damn his own weakness now. He couldn't let it interfere in the next phase of his plan.

Sho tried the gate and then cursed. It was locked. Rin blinked himself out of his thoughts. "Excuse me, Sir Sho, if you would allow me to be of assistance..." He would need to extinguish the light in order to transform his pipe into his lock picks, but that wouldn't be a problem. He stepped around Sho and then reached through the bars to find the lock. He hummed to himself and then transformed his pipe. The light vanished, and darkness surrounded them. The lock was soon opened, and the doors swung open with a creak. "There."

Sho huffed and pushed past him, one hand on the hilt of his sword.

Rin hurried after him and turned his pipe back into its original form before casting the light spell again. There was a short passageway before they reached the twilight of the mountains. He stopped a step behind Sho when he saw the other man drew his blade. Apparently Betsu Ten Gai's soldiers had managed to escape the crumbling castle, and a party was already waiting for them. Wonderful. Behind him, there was crack like thunder and chunks of stone began to tumble down the mountain. There was no time for play now. Rin took a breath and summoned up his strength. "Out of the way, Sho Fu Kan," He said, pushing Sho aside. Sho made a surprised grunt. Rin brandished his pipe and then swept it in a wide arch. A stream of fire roared into existence and blew toward the crowd of genkishu who screamed and scattered.

"The whistle now, if you please," Rin suggested, looking to his companion.

Sho threw the whistle without question, and the two took to the air. In the distance, there was a mighty crash as the Seven Sins Tower collapsed into rubble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! Please let me know if you think that I should write "Rin" instead of "Sho" while Rin was fighting Betsu Ten Gai. I thought it was a bit of fun to make you wonder, but clarity is the most important thing! If you think that it was confusing, I'll happily go back and change it.


	12. Logic

The demons attacked from the southern side of the shrine, but there was no doubt that there would be more. Tan Hi gripped her blade determinedly. She hadn’t thought it possible that there were so many still in the human world, but there were hundreds of them. If this were a decoy and not even the main thrust of their attack, she was not sure that there would be any hope of saving the Tankenshi or of stopping them from waking Yo Jya Rei.

Not for the first time, she felt afraid. Not for the first time, she regretted that it had been her brother who had died that day. He would have known what to do. He would never have let this happen in the first place. How could her world have changed so much in so few days?

The wards couldn’t withstand so much malevolent qi for long. Already they were buckling and flickering. Perhaps one or two demons would have been turned away. One or two hundred appeared to be their limit.

Tan Hi bit her lip. “Ken-sama, I don’t think that the wards will hold much longer. What should I do? If I try to reinforce them, I’ll be unable to fight if there’s another attack.”

Ken hefted his spear and grinned at her. Tan Hi felt a rush of gratitude and relief seeing that expression on his face. She hadn’t realized until that moment how awful it would have felt if he never smiled at her again.

”Don’t worry, Tan Hi.” Ken spun his spear and thumped the base of it against the ground. “The Frozen Wonder has your back. You do what you have to do to stop these guys from breaking through. If there’s any trouble, I’ll stop them! They’ll regret the day they messed with us!”

”Ken-sama…” Tan Hi smiled, and then nodded. Her determination flooded back and she stood straighter. She would do what she had to do. A goinshi’s duty was not only to protect the shrine’s sacred weapon, but also to fight against evil. With her brother gone, there was only her to fill that role.

.

Sho didn’t think that he would ever get used to flying a demon bird. Years of training to master his qi and wield it with precision meant that he could focus his deliberate attention on an idea or thing excellently. Still, that didn’t stop him from worrying that he would mess up and send the bird crashing into a tree. He didn’t like having his life in the talons of an overgrown chicken.

The bird swerved suddenly and Sho cursed, then focused again.

They were only descending. He’d held the thought in his mind that he wanted his bird to follow Rin’s, and that’s what it had done. They were deposited on the ground not far from where they’d left the site of Kei Gai’s ambush. Sho landed on his feet with a grunt and intense relief to be on the ground again. A few paces away, Rin sat down heavily on the ground. At least he hadn’t dropped the tengyoken. Speaking of which.

Sho walked over and held out his hand expectantly. Rin looked up at him. His face was blank with confusion, which was a change from the usual smirks that made Sho feel like punching him. He was sweating and disheveled, and he looked a little more human like that or, if not human, then at least alive and made of something other than snow and feathers.

”The tengyoken. Hand it over,” Sho demanded. “I don’t trust you as far as I can throw you.”

”Still not? Even after everything?” He made an exaggerated moue of disappointment and then shook his head. “I’m afraid that I can’t do that, Sho Fu Kan.”

Sho’s eyes narrowed into a glare and he took yet another menacing step closer. Rin seemed to read the danger in his posture and pushed himself to his feet. Sho closed the distance again. “Why the hell not?”

”It’s all part of my plan, Sir Sho. I need to retain possession of the tengyoken for a small while longer.”

”Explain, or I’m taking it from you.” Sho looked him up and down. “Somehow I don’t think it’ll be much of a challenge.”

”Ah, I’m not sure that that’s a wise idea. I prefer to keep my plans private, you see, it’s easier to maintain flexibility if I have fewer people to inform.” Rin took out his pipe with his free hand and rubbed his thumb along the stem. Sho kept a wary eye on it. He wouldn’t put it past the thief to try some magic on him.

Sho drew his sword. Rin took a step back.

”Now, now, don’t be hasty!” Rin smiled and then gave Sho a sly look. “You could kill me and take the tengyoken, but I doubt that even you could fight off Kei Gai’s army and also manage to seal Yo Jya Rei without being killed.”

Sho scowled. It was true that he could do that. He could probably even take the sword without killing Rin, though making an enemy of him was probably a bad idea. Talking to him was also a bad idea, because Rin would convince him to do things his way, and then he’d end up in some shitty situation again. Damn it.

”I think I can take my chances. What’s the point of you keeping it, then? It’s not like you’d do any better.” Speaking of which, had Rin seriously beaten Betsu Ten Gai back there? He’d been too distracted to consider it earlier. He’d probably used some trick with his smoke.

Rin smiled. Sho’s scowl darkened. He’d learned to be nervous about anything that made Rin Setsu A happy.

”No, I dare say that I wouldn’t. My strength has always been in utilizing the skills of others. Speaking of which, you still have an important role to play, Sho Fu Kan. You needn’t feel left out.”

Sho almost took the bait. Almost. He shook his head. “Explain to me right now why you need to keep the sword, and if I believe you, maybe I won’t kill you and then take my chances with those demons.”

.

Rin thinned his lips in a barely perceptible frown. Sho always retreated to threatening him. It was getting a bit tiresome. He was sure that they both knew Sho would agree with him in the end anyway. Why did he insist on this charade? Rin looked at Sho’s sword and then very slowly brought his pipe toward his lips. Sho’s eyes narrowed. Rin halted and cleared his throat, lowering his pipe again.

This would require delicacy.

”Surely you realize that the longer you spend questioning me, the more likely it is that Kei Gai will have overcome Miss Goinshi’s barriers. It would be tragic if we arrived too late.”

Sho’s expression was stony. “Then you’d better start talking.”

Rin sighed and let a bit of irritation creep into his tone. “I don’t have time to explain everything to you now. If you would just trust me, I assure you that everything will be fine.”

Sho still seemed unimpressed. Very well, then. Rin decided to start with the conclusion, since the end would surely justify the means. “Yo Jya Rei can be sealed and the demons can be banished back to their realm. If you were somehow to return the sword to its place and seal Yo Jya Rei, there would still be the matter of Kei Gai’s demons. They might scatter, but they would still have the knowledge of Yo Jya Rei’s continued existence. Poor Miss Tan Hi would forever be fighting them away from her shrine. And, even if you took on the risk of taking them on yourself- a foolish idea- there would be no guarantee that you’d gotten all of them. So, we must destroy the _idea_ of Yo Jya Rei. To do that, we must first allow Kei Gai to succeed in waking him. Then, you will seal him again, making it appear that you’ve killed him. That worked during the first war. Meanwhile, I have a message to send that will ensure that as many demons as possible are banished. Even if a few escape, they will believe that Yo Jya Rei is no more and their hope for another War of Fading Dusk will have died.”

As Rin spoke, Sho’s frown grew progressively deeper. Rin fought to keep his shoulders from sagging. He was tired. He’d been using his magic almost continuously that day, not to mention the large expenditure of energy involved in his second duel with the late Betsu Ten Gai. Though the goinshi had done a wonderful job ensuring that he hadn’t died because of the first, she’d only encouraged his body to heal itself. That, too, demanded energy. He could grudgingly admit to himself that he’d overextended himself just a bit. It couldn’t be helped, though. Not after Sho Fu Kan had ruined his first plan. It would be worth it in the end, and so much better than he’d originally thought. Perhaps he could forgive Sho, just this once.

”You want to let Kei Gai wake the demon god,” Sho said, slowly.

Of course his mind had been arrested at that point. Rin waved his pipe. “I understand your concern, but it will only be temporarily. I think that you’ve proven yourself to be more than capable of handling things.”

”If this doesn’t work, I’ll have an army and a demon god to get rid of. You’re serious, aren’t you? Damn. You’re actually serious. Are you insane? You want to talk to Kei Gai, so you burn down her forest to get her attention; you need the flute, so you threaten to kill yourself and then offer to let a murderer cut off your head; now you want to wake up a demon god. You really are insane.”

”Just because my way of thinking is a bit different than yours, it doesn’t make me any less sane. I explained myself, as you _requested_. Are you willing to assist me or not?”

.

Sho could hardly believe what he was hearing. But then it was Rin, and he was insane, so perhaps he could believe it after all. He shook his head and sheathed his sword. Maybe he was insane too, because he could sort of see the guy’s point. Sealing Yo Jya Rei wouldn’t stop the demons from trying to unseal him again unless they were dead or thought Yo Jya Rei was dead. He could think of a few ways he could handle the demon god if it came down to it, and it might even be better than using the damn tengyoken at all. Rin didn’t need to know about that, though. Who knew what sort of crazy shit he’d come up with then.

”Two questions,” Sho said. “First, how are you going to let Kei Gai succeed? Wait? Because Tan Hi and Ken San Un are up there, and they don’t know about this little plan. Second, if I’m the one who’s dealing with Yo Jya Rei, why don’t I get the tengyoken?”

Another damn smile curled Rin’s lips. “If I answer that, I’m afraid that I might lose your support. Please understand that I don’t wish any harm to come to our two young companions, and neither do I have any desire to see Kei Gai truly succeed. As for the second question, I believe that you’ll know what to do. I’ve told you all that I feel comfortable telling you. I trust that you’ll allow me to continue?”

And as expected, Sho found himself nodding. He really shouldn’t have let Rin open his mouth.

.

Finally. Sho Fu Kan could be remarkably stubborn about some things. At last, it seemed like he’d been convinced to assent and stop threatening Rin with his sword. Rin tucked his pipe away, and then set the tengyoken down, reasonably sure that Sho wouldn’t take it. He whistled and a bird descended to perch on his finger a few moments later.

Rin took a small, rolled message from a pocket and gave it to the bird to carry. When it flew off again, Rin took up the tengyoken and gave Sho an affable smile.

”Shall we?”


End file.
